The Adventures of the Teen Titans
by Blowfish the Monkey Tamer
Summary: I LIVE! AUish origin story. Appearances by the Justice League. Ch. 8: Starfire's estranged sister, Blackfire, comes to visit. She immediately wins over the Titans with her hip, partyloving attitude. But something about her suggest she is hiding somet
1. Close Encounters of the Tamaranian Kind

**Blowfish: Most of the people who regularly read my fiction (I love you guys!) are stumbling onto this and thinking, "But Blowfish already has two other fics! Does this mean the updates will be slower on 'Heroes' and 'Much ****Ado**** About Titans'?" Well, the answer is: probably. The updates will (hopefully) be pretty consistent until school starts up. (Damn education.) At that point, all of my major typing will probably be on weekends and little bits after school. So, in months to come, I will be updating less often. But fear not, my friends! These fics will continue and finish. That I will promise you!**

**Anyway, the reason I'm posting this story is because I've had it in my head longer than any of my other fics. I just hadn't put it in order in my head yet. But now that I have, I can't hold it in any longer. This and "Heroes" are sort of my Teen Titans "brainchildren". My big masterpieces (I hope). This one's much more angsty and violent than my other fics.**

**I was originally going to make my third story "Darkness Before Dawn", a fic where Slade controls the city, but I decided there were enough of those around. (Of course, there are a lot of origin fics too, but…) Anyway, I decided to go for something different. A very dark, angsty origin fic. It doesn't delve into the Titans' whole lives from the get-go, but rather takes a more mysterious angle. There will be lots of appearances by the Justice League in the beginning, but once the story is past that, they will be seen very little. I'm going to try not to get all crossover-happy on you, I'm not a big fan of crossovers in the first place. Just try to go with it, and I really hope you'll enjoy it.**

**P.S.- No interesting scene separaters like in "Heroes", I'm afraid. I'm too lazy. Sorry.**

**This fic is rated PG-13 for language, blood and violence, and lots and lots of teenage angst. Most of this occurs in future chapters. This one's pretty PG.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. (sniffs) I wish I did.**

**"talking" 'thinking'**

* * *

"So, what's up?" Robin asked his mentor. They were in the "watchtower" of the Justice League, the huge satellite that orbited the earth. Robin was confused. Batman helped the League a lot, but he had never taken Robin to JLHQ before.

"You'll find out," Batman answered coolly. Robin glared at him, then returned his gaze forward. He had three theories of what this could possibly be about. One: The Justice League wanted him to join them. This was highly unlikely as he was only sixteen. Two: Batman had brought him here to be introduced to the League, and everyone would treat him like a little kid, as usual. He shuddered. That would just be embarrassing.

The third theory was the one Robin least wanted to believe: That the League needed help. This was a scary thought. They had at least a hundred superheroes now working with them, and if they needed help, whatever it was they were battling was likely to be unbelievably powerful. Robin gulped. Even if this was right, what could someone like him—a regular human—do? True, he was Batman's sidekick, and he knew the tricks of the detective trade quite well, but Batman was far better.

"We're here," Batman said opening the doors to the main room. Robin managed to suppress a gasp. He had been expecting a few of the miscellaneous heroes he'd heard about, since the League most often worked in teams in an effort to spread their forces. But there were Green Lantern and Wonder Woman—two of the League's founding members.

"Glad you could make it," Green Lantern said. "I see you brought the kid." Robin scowled.

"I'm Robin," he replied proudly. "I'm not a _kid._"

"I see. Well, glad to have you here."

"No problem, GL."

Lantern cocked an eyebrow.

"Err…sorry, Mr. Lantern."

"'Sir' will do," he said sternly.

"Yes sir. Uh, sorry if I seem rude, but why am I here?"

"Well, three hours ago, an alien spacecraft was headed towards Earth. We brought it in with a high-intensity magnet, so as not to be detected by commercial satellites and cause panic. There was only one person on the ship, and she can't speak a word of English, or any Earthly language for that matter. She doesn't appear to have any harmful intentions, but she seems very scared of us. She looks to be physically around your age, so—"

"You think she'll feel comfortable with me."

"Yes."

Robin sighed. "Lead the way."

* * *

The four heroes were walking down the hall, Batman and Robin a few feet behind. Batman leaned towards Robin a bit.

"You seem delighted to be doing this," he whispered sarcastically.

"I'm a crime-fighter, not a babysitter!" Robin hissed. "I'm not gonna spend all day with some alien girl who can't speak a word of English!"

The door opened, leading to their destination, but Robin was still talking to Batman.

"Besides, she's probably—"

He looked up and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Beautiful…" he breathed.

She was the most perfect being he had ever seen. She had orangey-colored skin, and flaming red hair. She was wearing long purple boots, matching the tank-top and miniskirt she was wearing. On her arms were metallic gloves that went up to her elbows, and there was a similar adornment on her neck. On both of these was a round, green gems that sparkled brightly. Her eyes were a bright green. Not just the iris, they were green all the way through, except for her pupils, of course. The irises were a darker green, and the rest of her eyes were lighter, like a lime green.

Robin was speechless. That had never happened to him before. He always had a wise word, a cocky retort, a clever comment. Not this time. His vocal cords felt as if they were actually frozen. 'She's like a goddess…' he thought. That was the only description that seemed to fit.

The girl was talking to the Martian Manhunter, in what Robin was surprised to find was near-perfect English. The others were stunned as well. Wonder Woman spoke up.

"J'on, how did you—"

"Her language, Tamaranean, is very similar to Martian. I was able to convey what language you were using, and it turns out she knows it quite well."

The alien girl looked embarrassed. "Forgive me. I have not heard what you refer to as 'English' in some time, and I did not recognize it. I am sorry to have caused such a communication problem."

"It's no trouble," Wonder Woman said. "We're just happy we can understand why you're here."

The girl looked even more embarrassed. "Well…I…err…I had no intention of causing a disturbance. I am sorry for that. I actually came hoping to take residence on this planet."

"Why did you leave…"

"Tamaran."

"Why did you leave Tamaran?"

This time, the girl looked more ashamed this time. "I…my planet…"

"If I recall," J'on cut in. "Tamaran is a very troubled planet, yes? It is at war with the Gordanians, and is actually on the brink of political collapse due to impending civil war. Am I right?"

She nodded.

Batman faced the Martian. "How do you know all this?"

"The Martians and the Tamaraneans were once close allies. That is the reason our languages are similar. After the Tamaraneans began war with the Gordanians, my people severed ties with them, not approving the ways of war. We learned about it the hard way," he said bitterly.

"Wait a second," Lantern said. "Mars fell thousands of years ago! You mean to tell me this war between the Tamaraneans and the Gordanians has been going on all that time?!"

"Yes. I had hoped otherwise."

"I fled out of fear," the girl said, hanging her head. "I am a coward, and a shame to my family."

Robin finally found his voice, but the wrong words came out. "Hey, you're afraid of dying. There's no shame it that."

She looked up at him in a defiant manner. "I am _not _afraid of death. I do not wish to hurt anybody; _that_ is what I am afraid of."

"Oh," Robin said quietly. "Sorry."

She sighed. "It is not your fault. _I _am the one who should be sorry."

"So, uh…I saw your ship. Sweet ride. Where'd you get it?"

The girl shifted a bit. "It was my brother's ship."

"Oh, what—wait, I'm such a doofus!"

"…Doofus?"

"Idiot. Stupid person. I—we forgot to ask you your name."

She smiled. "Koriand'r. My name is Koriand'r."

"Koriandra—Kora—Koriend—got a nickname by any chance?" he asked, blushing.

"The English translation is quite rough, but I believe it is…Starfire. So you may call me Starfire…I did not hear your name."

"Robin," he said holding out is hand. Starfire looked at it confusedly. Robin took her hand, put it in his, and shook it. "It's called a handshake. It's how we greet each other on Earth."

"I see."

Green Lantern turned to the others. "Well, what now?"

"Why not let her stay here?" Wonder Woman said. "Until we can find a place for her to live. I have a feeling she'll need some help with adjusting."

Batman smiled and looked over at Robin, who was deep in conversation with Starfire about the proper way to greet strangers and friends on Earth.

"I think we have a good teacher."

* * *

It had been a week since Starfire had arrived at JLHQ, and she was adjusting quite nicely. Robin was around almost constantly, keeping her company, teaching her the ways of Earth, and showing her various pictures and music. They greatly enjoyed each other's company, and it showed. They had shared a lot of things about themselves, and compared interests until they knew each other almost as well as they knew themselves. However, there _was_ one thing Starfire had neglected to mention about herself…

It was a normal day on the JL satellite, and Starfire was looking at the stars through the massive window. Though she didn't know it, Robin was on the upper deck, leaning over the rail, looking at her. Batman walked over to him.

"Enjoying the view?"

Robin jumped. "AH! Good God, don't scare me like that!"

"Why aren't you in uniform?"

Robin looked down at himself. He was wearing an undershirt and jeans. Strangely enough, he still had his mask on. (A/N: Heh heh. Seriously, does that guy EVER take that thing off?)

"I just got out of the shower. I was just going to change."

"Sure, right after staring at Starfire for another hour," Batman said, giving his sidekick a playful punch in the arm in a most un-Batman-like way. Robin crossed his arms stubbornly.

"Shut up."

Batman chuckled, and took the elevator down to the lower deck. He walked over to the window, and stopped where Starfire was sitting.

"Feeling nostalgic?"

"One could call it that, I suppose. I do miss my home planet."

"Perfectly understandable."

She smiled at him. "Thank you for letting me—"

Starfire was abruptly cut off by a scream. She and Batman turned to see Robin plummeting downwards from the upper deck.

"ROBIN!!!" Batman yelled. He was frantic. Robin couldn't save himself; he didn't have his utility belt. Batman pulled out his grappling hook, looking for something to latch onto. Before he could do anything, though, Starfire ran forward and jumped into the air. At least, that's what it looked like at first. Batman was shocked when she stayed in the air.

'She can fly?!'

Starfire sped through the air, and caught Robin fifty feet above the floor. Robin was terrified and surprised at the same time, causing his heart to go a million miles a minute. At this point, Superman and Wonder Woman had walked in, looking equally flabbergasted. Starfire landed and put him down.

"Friend Robin, what happened?" she asked worriedly. "Are you undamaged?"

"I—I leaned too far over the railing, and…you can fly?" he asked weakly.

"I do possess the power of flight. Did I not mention that?"

"No…you left that one out."

"Oh…I am very sorry."

"No, it's fine. Really. Thanks."

"It was not a problem."

"Do you have any other powers?" Superman asked. He was curious to see what else she could do.

"Yes, I can emit energy beams from my hands and eyes. I call them 'starbolts'. I also have great strength; compared to a human, that is."

"Can we see?"

"I do not have a target."

"Shoot at me," Wonder Woman offered. "These bracelets can block _anything._"

Starfire nodded and stepped back a little bit. She raised her hands, which started to glow green. So did her eyes. She shot a starbolt, and Wonder Woman deflected it. Then she shot one from her eyes, which pushed Wonder Woman back a bit.

"Whoa, easy there," she said.

"I apologize. I have only recently gained the ability to project starbolts from my eyes, and sometimes I overdo it." She then picked up Batman with one hand and balanced him on her finger, to demonstrate her phenomenal strength. (A/N: Come on, if she can stop a flying spaceship, she can lift Batman.)

"Well, we came down here to ask for Batman and Robin's help with a new case," Superman explained. "Since you have these powers, perhaps you could also help—if you want to."

"I would be delighted to be of any assistance."

Batman turned to Robin. "Suit up and come to the main room."

"Right."

* * *

J'on (A/N: I'll just refer to him as J'on for the rest of this.) stood in the middle of the main room, in front of the main screen. Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Batman, Robin, and Starfire were in a semicircle around him. Batman turned to Lantern.

"Where's the big guy?"

"Got a call. Left J'on in charge." J'on cleared his throat.

"As you may or may not know, Jump City has had several reports of unexplained coma victims. I have gone to each of these people, and have attempted to read their minds."

"You couldn't," Robin guessed.

"Yes. It was as if they had no thoughts or memories."

"But that doesn't make any sense."

"Unless…" Wonder Woman said. "They've had their souls sucked out."

Starfire, Robin, and Green Lantern all gasped. "Who could accomplish such a thing? And why?" Starfire asked.

"A demon, maybe. They are certainly capable of it, and some eat souls as a regular food. We're probably just looking at a hungry demon."

"Is there anything we can do for those who have already fallen prey to this monster?"

"It depends. We'll have to find the culprit quickly, and I don't know if that's possible. Maybe J'on would have better luck. Most demons have strange auras, or use telekinesis, so he could detect them."

"You are very experienced with these 'demons'?"

"I've had dealings with them a few times. As has Batman. But neither of us are experts. Like I said, maybe J'on could—J'on?"

J'on was standing very still, his eyes glowing.

"Guess he's two steps ahead of us, eh?" Robin chuckled.

"What is he doing?" Starfire asked, waving her hand in front of J'on's eyes.

"He's using his telepathic powers, most probably trying to find our demon."

J'on opened his eyes. "There are too many to be sure, but a few particular auras have been quite bright lately."

Lantern cocked an eyebrow. (Robin was beginning to think that this was his trademark expression.) "Translation?"

"A few particular demons have been using a lot of power recently. One of those is most likely the soul-sucker."

Robin slammed his fist in his hand. "All right! Let's go kick some demon butt!"

* * *

**Blowfish: There it is. Sorry if the soul-sucking plot seems wacky, I've been reading a lot of Yu Yu Hakusho lately. Anyway, you won't see an update from this until my other two stories get updated. Gotta update my other ones, or the reviewers will have my head! So, for your pleasure, a preview! (As if you didn't already guess what's coming.)**

**Next time: On the trail of a soul-sucking demon, Robin, Starfire, and Batman come across the enigmatic Raven. Her powers are frightening, but she looks human enough. Why does Raven stand out from other demons, and is she the one sucking out people souls? And who is the mysterious man she hangs out with? Find out next time!**


	2. Crouching Cyborg, Hidden Demon

**Blowfish: Hello, everybody! Sorry I took so long to update. Please leave as many flames as you want, and feel free to beat the crap out of me. I got reviews!**

**Lomesir: That I will. Thanks!**

**Happy-Raven: JLU rocks, doesn't it? I liked the last episode a lot: Wonder Woman got turned into a pig! nn Yay! Thanks, and don't worry, I'm gonna try my best to keep "Much ****Ado**** About Titans" running smoothly.**

**Grumbumble: I've always thought Robin and Batman had an interesting relationship outside of crime-fighting; sort of a cross between a brotherly and a father-son thing going on. Glad you liked it. GL is the type to say that, isn't he? Yes, three fics (actually, two now, thanks to those delete-happy bastards) is going to be VERY stressful, but I know I can do it. Thanks for understanding—and know this: the "new chapter dance" is for NON-professionals only…so keep at it! Take that, you dancing school bastards! Kick me out! See if I care! (sniff)**

**Chimpy: …You never went to dancing school.**

**Blowfish: Shh, you're ruining the drama.**

**Eilian Rhoss: Thanks, and here's the new chap you wanted. And I certainly hope people will still review my other stories!**

**Chimpy: If you write, they will come.**

**Blowfish: Oh hush, you.**

**BunnyKat: Glad you like it. Say it with me: JL roooooocks...**

**ninmenju-shin: Sorry it took me so long to update. (Again, feel free to wound me physically or emotionally!) I dunno, I just like Star's eyebeam thing. It rocks. I hope you like this chapter with Rae. Yay! I have an official fan! WHOO! And it's nice of you to care about my other fics that got deleted. I've really gotta tread lightly now, I think THEY are watching me now. . . **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or the Justice League. (stares up at the sky) WHY, GOD, WHY?! I also don't own Happy Meals. That's McDonald's, remember?**

**Warning: This chapter gets a little weird at times. The author really, really likes demons, so be prepared for the supernatural.**

**"talking" 'thinking' ::telepathy:: **

* * *

"So, if J'on's not with us, how're we supposed to find the demon?"

Batman eyed his sidekick, and shook his head. "J'on is guiding us telepathically."

The trio of Batman, Robin, and Starfire was gathered atop an apartment building in Jump City. They had taken the space jet down to Earth, and had begun their search; rather unsuccessfully. Robin and Starfire were dressed casually, because Batman had a nasty feeling this would be an undercover job, rather than a nice, quick throw-down. However, Robin still had his utility belt on. Just in case. They hadn't yet heard from J'on, who was monitoring everyone from the Watchtower.

Starfire leaned over, looking past Robin at Batman. "But is he able to give us a specific target?" she asked.

::No, but people are naturally repelled by demons, and you are all rather sensitive people.::

Starfire yelped in surprise. Robin jumped a little bit; he wasn't used to the idea of someone's voice in his head.

::The fact is, certain people _are _more accomplished at finding demons; demon slayers, for example. Those people are in tune with demonic auras. They are very rare, and often retain psychic abilities. But psychic abilities or not, you all should be able to feel something "off" if you approach a demon.::

"You're weirdin' me out with the mystical stuff here, J'on," Robin said. "I don't give a rat's ass _how _we find it, just that we stop it before it decides to have another snack."

::I understand your urgency, and—it's nearby.::

"What?"

::The demon you're tracking. It's very close.::

Robin looked down at the streets. They were fairly deserted, except for a lone figure, who was keeping a leisurely pace.

Batman followed his gaze. "Bingo."

The supposed demon walked down to the end of the street, where there was a sign indicating a walk-down restaurant. It had faded words on it.

**BARAK'S CAFE**

**Exclusive**

**See Doorman For Entry**

The person walked down the steps, and knocked on the door. A small slot in the door opened, and two yellow eyes peered through.

"Barak's. Who is it?"

"Donovan, it's me. The newbie, remember?" The yellow eyes squinted.

"Oh yeah, you're that kid from the other day. Come on in." Donovan opened the door, and the figure stepped inside.

The door slammed behind them.

Robin cracked his knuckles. "Undercover time." Batman sighed heavily.

"Please, control yourself. Don't do anything I wouldn't."

Robin grinned. "Bats, you wound me. When have I _ever _done something you wouldn't?"

Batman took a breath, ready to count the instances in which his pupil had disobeyed him, but Robin and Starfire were already on the street below. Starfire was very excited.

"On my planet, such delicate operations are only assigned to elite soldiers," she explained giddily. "To me, this is a very high honor."

"Personally, I think it's kinda boring," Robin said. "I'm just glad I don't have the Dark Knight leaning over my shoulder."

"Don't be so sure."

Robin found himself jumping for the second time that evening. He then realized his mistake.

He'd left his com-link on.

"Dammit."

"Heh, you didn't think I'd _really _let you go on your own, did you?"

"I'm not on my own! Star's with me!"

"As if that counts, she'll do whatever you say." Robin growled, and shoved his hands in his pockets.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Jinsho was not having a good night.

He and his gang had been chased by the human police. This wasn't threatening, but it was damn annoying. Too many of those bullets scratched his skin, making him very irritated. In a mauling, the victim had managed to pull off one of Jinsho's scales before being gutted like a fish. That _really_ pissed him off. On top of that, none of them had been able to get many animals to eat. A blue jay and a crow, but nothing that really qualified as a meal. For it to be a meal, it had to struggle a bit before you killed it. Otherwise, there was no real sense of satisfaction. Jinsho and his company sighed. There was only one thing that could possibly salvage their night now.

They needed a drink.

"Sanshi, didn't you say there was a safe place to get around here?" Jinsho asked. Sanshi scratched his head.

"Uhhh, yeah, that Barfak's place…or was it Beero's…?" Sanshi scratched his head again.

Jinsho sighed. Rock demons were several fries short of a Happy Meal, compared to other demons.

"It's Barak's," said Korin exasperatedly. "_Barak's _Café, you sack of crap."

"Don't call me a sack of crap, you bastard!"

"Shut up, you son of a—"

"QUIET!" Jinsho bellowed, hushing Korin, Sanshi, and the rest of his gang. "I see a sign for it over there, you nimrods."

"Oh," they both said in unison.

Jinsho squinted in the darkness. He'd always thought it odd that demons had trouble seeing in the dark. Only demons of darkness and spirit demons could see very well through the pitch black. He contained a shudder. Those were the worst kind of demons, the spirits and the darkness.

He paused. There was a pair of teenagers walking down the stairs to Barak's. 'Hmph. Weird,' he thought. He motioned for the others to follow him, and they went down the steps after the kids. They turned around; how could they not, considering there was a seven-foot-tall serpentine man standing behind them, not to mention the other ghastly-looking members of the group.

"Err…nice evening, eh?" the boy managed to get out. He was wearing sunglasses, despite the lack of light.

Before anyone could say anything else, a small slot opened in the door, and two yellow eyes peered out. "Barak's. You're new, kiddo, what's your name?"

"Just call me Robin," the boy said.

"And the girl?"

"Starfire," she answered bravely.

"'Kay," the voice said. The eyes gazed beyond them, at the other guests. "Hey, Korin. That you?"

"Yep," Korin replied.

"Alriiight, _now _it's a party. Everyone in."

They walked in. On the left, there was a bar, where several people. The rest of the place was taken up by tables and a small stage, that looked like it was for karaoke or possibly stand-up. It wasn't very crowded. Robin surveyed the crowd, and his eyes widened.

Most of the people there weren't human.

One could see everything from hair, to skin, to scales on the customers, and many of them looked very suspicious. One must understand that in a crowd like this, normalcy tends to stand out. That was probably why Robin noticed the girl in the corner so quickly.

She was pale, skinny, and couldn't have been much older than Robin himself. Her hair was a purplish-blue, but other than that, she looked completely average. Her eyes were hidden by a small book, and she took sips from a steaming teacup. Her slim frame seemed almost familiar…

'Holy sh—'

"Robin, right?"

Robin's thoughts were cut off by the doorman, who had been nudging him for quite some time now.

"Yes?" he answered irritably.

"You want a table?"

Robin suddenly realized the opportunity he had been given. "Uh, yeah, but could I make a request?"

"Sure."

"That girl over there is a friend of ours. Could we sit with her?"

"Uhhh, sure. Don't see why not."

While the doorman searched the desk for two menus, Starfire shot Robin a quizzical look. He jerked his head in the direction of the girl, and put his hands in the air menacingly, as if he had claws. Starfire must have interpreted the gesture correctly, for her eyes widened as if to say "Are you sure?" He nodded.

But before they could take their seats with their supposed target, Jinsho and his company had already made it over to her.

"Hey, girl," Korin spat. "This is my table."

She looked up from her book, revealing a pair of abyssal blue eyes and a strange gem in the middle of her forehead. "I didn't see you sitting in it when I got here," she said. Robin could hear in her voice that she wasn't mocking him. She was just stating a fact.

"Get the hell up."

"No."

In a flash, Korin yanked the girl up by the collar of her ebony jacket. Her blue boots dangled three feet above the ground.

"You're really starting to piss me off, kid."

Robin dropped into a battle crouch, and Starfire followed suit. This was going to get ugly. They would wait until he put her down, and then—

"Don't make me hurt you."

Now the entire café was silent. The words that had just come from the mouth of the girl were unbelievable. _Her, _hurt _Korin?_ Everybody was itching with anticipation at what Korin would do. Of course, Korin did what any respectable water demon would do.

He burst out laughing.

_"You, hurt me?! That's priceless! Did you guys hear—"_

What happened next was so fast that in later years, Robin wasn't sure what he had witnessed. At that moment, what appeared to be glowing, black bird talons rose from the floor and grabbed Korin. He released the girl from his grip in a desperate attempt to use both hands to escape, but wasn't even offered time to scream before being pulled into the gaping black vortex in the floor. The girl fell as well, but landed on her feet harmlessly on top of the rip in dimensions. Black and white sparks danced around her, and she met the eyes of Jinsho.

"I warned him."

Sanshi charged at her. "You bi—" Before he could finish his curse, however, he was engulfed in black energy. With a flick of the wrist, the girl sent him flying. She did this to the rest of the demons that ran after her. Jinsho was the only one left standing, and he was very, very confused. He didn't understand. This kid had powers like a demon. She had a demonic aura. But, discolored hair aside, she looked like a regular human. She reeked of human. No demon could disguise their smell. He shook his head a few times. Human or demon, it didn't matter. She was going down.

Jinsho grinned. "You like fire, kid?"

The girl stared at him.

"I like fire a lot," he continued conversationally. "Some of my friends even say I'm…" Trailing off, he summoned a huge fireball in his open palm.

"…A pyromaniac."

He hurled the fireball at her. She wasn't dodging this. There was no way she could withstand a fireball from Jinsho, the greatest fire demon of them all. Indeed, everyone in the room believed that the petit teenager was no match for this scaly, pyrokinetic, powerhouse.

They were wrong.

_"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!"_

The fireball stopped within inches of her face. Her eyes were glowing white. "You like fire, right?" The fireball zoomed back in the direction of Jinsho, and the impact knocked him off his feet. He did not get back up.

The girl brushed off her jacket, and heaved a sigh. Her eyes caught her spilled drink on the floor. 'So much for tea,' she thought.

"FREEZE!"

Robin had his fists up, and Starfire's eyes were glowing with green light. Robin jumped, grabbing the girl's arm before she threw him off. She eyed them for a moment, before her form turned into a black bird and rose up through the ceiling.

Robin swore under his breath, activating his com-link. "We lost her, Batman."

"'Her'?"

"Yeah, it's a girl. A really strong girl."

"Guess we'll have to find her again."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Check your tracker."

Batman looked down at his communicator and smiled. A flashing red dot moved across the grid. "Who says I didn't teach you anything?"

"Heh, no one, sir."

"Come on, we should go. She's moving fast. We'll rendezvous at the pizza parlor; she's headed in that direction."

"Ten-four, good buddy. Robin out."

* * *

"Aww, man, why won't this damn thing start?!"

Johnny was bent over the car, looking for the source of its stubbornness. Bill just stood to the side. He wasn't quite as good a mechanic as Johnny.

"Cy!" Johnny yelled. "What the hell is wrong with this hunk of junk?!"

A hulking figure entered the garage. "Because, ya moron, I haven't put the central interface chip in yet."

"…Oh."

Cyborg sighed. Johnny was an okay mechanic, but he wasn't all that bright. Bill wasn't any real use at all, except that his pop owned the garage they were working in. Also, neither of them were very honest or reliable guys. Never around when you needed them. 'Speaking of which…'

"Yo, either of you guys seen Rae around?"

Bill scratched his head. "I think she went out," he said.

Johnny gave a look of distaste. "I don't like that chick. She gives me the creeps. Doesn't talk, 'cept to you."

Cyborg growled. "You don't give her a chance."

"Dude, she's been here a month. We've been with you from the start. You seem to trust her more that us."

"I didn't say that."

"Yeah, but it's obvious. Birds of a feather, I guess…"

Cyborg stopped dead. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means. F-R-E-A-K-S. Freaks. That's what you and that girl are. Sideshow freaks."

Cyborg could feel his rage building. "Get out," he whispered.

Bill stepped forward. "Hey, this is _my _garage, so you can kiss my—"

"GET OUT!" he bellowed, holding up his fist as it shifted into a sonic cannon. _Now _they were scared. "GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!!!" And they did.

Cyborg collapsed into a chair, his hand changing back to normal. He looked at his reflection in his car's window. Half of his face was covered in metal, and in place of the blue eye that would have been there, there was a lifeless red light. He wanted nothing more that to smash the glass before him. They had called him what he knew he was.

A freak.

Cyborg buried his head in his hands. They were metal, too. There was so little of him that remained human, so little of him that reflected the boy he used to be. He sighed.

"Hey."

Cyborg looked up, and his mismatched eyes met a pair of blue ones.

"Where are Johnny and Bill?"

"I kicked them out."

"Why?"

"Because they're bastards."

"Okay."

"Okay?"

She shrugged. "I didn't like them. I have a feeling you never really did either."

"Nah, guess I didn't."

There was an uncomfortable silence. Cyborg stood up.

"You still wanna come to the race? I mean, without the guys, I could use the help…"

"Sure."

Cyborg smiled, and punched his hand with his fist. "Awww, yeah! It's time to show the world what the C-Car is made of!"

* * *

Robin, Batman, and Starfire were perched on a ledge overlooking the Jump City arena. It was where most of the city's illegal gambling took place, and tonight was no exception.

"An underground car race," Robin mused. "Interesting. Why would she come here?"

"Don't know," Batman replied. "But it's our job to find out."

"Excuse me…Robin?" Starfire said.

"Yeah, Star?"

"…This race does not appear to be subterranean."

Robin slapped his forehead, and Batman chuckled. "Underground can also mean something illegal is being done in secret, Star. It isn't actually below the ground."

"Oh. I see."

"You two better go if you want to get seats," Batman said.

"Right."

"And just remember, I'm watching you."

"I _know,_ sir."

"Okay, okay. See you later." Batman launched his grappling hook, and swung towards the arena.

"Aaaaand, welcome, folks, to the raaaaaaceeees!!!"

The crowd cheered. Almost everyone was illegally betting on the race, and they were eager for the start. Robin and Starfire had taken seats in the back, but they were content with the view. As long as they could find their target, there would be no problems.

"In lane one, the terrifying, roaring machine cultivated by some of the most talented mechanics of downtown Jump City, the TIGER!!!"

A black car with a orange cat with black stripes painted on cruised into the first lane. Two people got out. One was a tall handsome man, the other an older guy with oil stains on his shirt; he was obviously the guy who was going to be in the pits.

The seven other race contestants, all with even more stunning cars and drivers were presented. Robin was thinking of simply going into the crowd to seek out the girl, until he saw the next contestant.

"Coming from downtown Jump, a new face in the racing competition, the C-CAR!!!"

The car was a strange design, having a see-through hood, and looked much more advanced than the others. Out of the car stepped a pair of figures. One had a trench coat and hat on, as if they had something to hide. The other was a short, skinny girl that Robin recognized all too well. Starfire followed his gaze and gasped.

"Robin, it's—"

"I know, I know!"

They briskly made their way through the stands, and Starfire accidentally smacked into a tall man.

"Many apologies, sir. I was not watching where I was going."

The man smiled. "No worries, little lady. Everyone's eager to watch the race. Go find yourself a nice seat. It oughta be quite a show, heh heh heh…" he chuckled, walking away.

Starfire smiled back at him, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something very wrong with the man…

"Starfire! Move! They're about to—"

"GO!!!" the emcee boomed. The cars were now burning rubber around the track, and Robin and Starfire were running out of time.

* * *

Raven sat in the pits, surveying the race with considerable detachment. She could tell that Cyborg would win. He had to. 'Whoa…where did that come from?'

Raven paused. This new feeling inside was constantly barging in on her thoughts, and it wouldn't go away. Just as she was contemplating this, Cyborg drove in. She picked up the wrench apprehensively. She wasn't the best mechanic, but she had watched Cyborg enough to pick up a few tricks.

"I think something's loose underneath," he said.

"Got it."

Raven slid under the car. Cyborg was right. There was a nut coming loose, and so was the bolt it was holding in. She tightened it, and got out, wiping a bit of oil of her face.

"Thanks, Rae," Cyborg said, giving her a thumbs-up. She smiled as he drove off. She could tell now, that this new feeling was not coming from being with Cyborg himself, but from helping him as he had helped her. This feeling of satisfaction from paying him back.

'Is this what it's like…to be happy?'

* * *

Batman was in the upper arena, watching Robin and Starfire go down to the front row. When they got to the girl, he would go down and help them. Then they could sort this whole mess out.

::Batman!::

Batman jumped at the sudden loudness of J'on's voice. "What is it?"

::There is another one of the demons I sensed in that arena.::

Batman's eyes widened, as he reached an epiphany. He hadn't just dropped Robin and Starfire in with one strong demon.

He had dropped them in with two.

* * *

Raven's head shot up. Something was very wrong. She sensed an evil aura near her. Granted, most of the people there were dishonest, lying, cheating frauds, but they weren't really evil. This was different. Someone was set on doing something truly wicked tonight. She looked in the audience, but found nothing. Her gaze strayed higher, and she stopped. There was a tall man on the ledge overlooking the race. He held in his palm a ball of white energy. He drew his hand back.

'Oh, shit.'

Before Raven could register what had happened, the blast had hit the racetrack, sending several of the cars flying.

"CYBORG!" she yelled, as his car flipped over. She ran towards it, but before she got there, a metal fist came jutting through the window. Cyborg pulled himself out, and apart from a small cut to the human half of his face, he seemed fine. At least physically.

"IT'S TOTALLED!!! AFTER ALL THAT GODDAMN WORK, MY BABY IS HISTORY!!! AAAWWWW!!!"

Raven was stunned. She had never seen anyone so close to tears over a car. 'At least he isn't hurt. Now where—' She looked back up at the ledge, but the man was gone.

* * *

"Everyone remain calm and evacuate! We'll extinguish the fire once everybody's out!"

Robin grabbed Starfire's arm, leading her in the direction of the exit. He had no idea where the explosion had come from, but he had no desire to stick around and find out. Suddenly, he felt his mentor's voice blasting in his ear.

"Robin!"

"Ack! Not so loud!"

"Get out of there, now!"

"I am, I am! What's got your tights in a twist?"

"There's another demon in that arena."

* * *

The tall man was making his way through the desperate, fleeing crowd. He could smell the fear in the air. Once he was out, he'd snag another one, and then—

"You're not going anywhere."

He spun around, and his fierce expression softened. Just a kid.

"You better get outta here, little lady, or you're gonna get yourself hurt." He then realized that most of the spectators had cleared out, and they were more or less alone. He grinned. "Come with me, kid, we should leave."

Raven straightened up. "Like I said: You aren't going anywhere, soul-eater."

"You humans think you're so tough," he said, keeping his light tone. His eyes glowed red and his mouth opened to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth. "Are you hungry? Because I am!"

Raven took a step back, keeping her mouth firmly shut. The tighter her jaw, the better. 'Ready…'

"Yo, Rae!"

Raven's head turned to Cyborg's voice before she even realized her mistake. By the time she did, a huge fist had already collided with her face, sending her sprawling.

Cyborg gaped at the guy who had punched her. "Hey! What is your deal, man?!"

"CY, STAY BACK!"

Cyborg was stunned. This was not an order, but a plea. Raven sounded desperate. It didn't matter. Whoever this guy was, he was dead. Cyborg's arm changed into the sonic cannon, and he charged.

* * *

"Robin, look!" Starfire yelled.

Robin was looking, all right; a half-machine duking it out with a colossal demon wasn't something one witnessed on a daily basis.

"I think we've been chasing the wrong demon," he said, drawing his bo staff. "Star, with me!"

* * *

Cyborg jumped backwards, and charged again. This guy just wasn't going down. This time, he let out a fierce cry as he attacked.

Big mistake.

"HA!" the demon yelled. "TIME FOR A SNACK!!!" He sucked in breath, and suddenly, Cyborg felt very strange. It was as if everything that had ever happened to him was replaying in fast-forward. His mom…his dad…meeting his best friend Nick for the first time in elementary school…getting elected class president in eighth grade…becoming the star quarterback in high school…a huge monster…pain…metal…his dad again, only this time crying…and all through it, it was getting slower and slower, and the most recent events being more detailed…

_He was squatting over the girl in the forest. He had come looking for where the strange flash had come from, but had somehow found this unconscious girl instead. As he contemplated the possibility of these two events being related, she stirred._

_"…Wha?"  
  
_

_"Hey, you okay?"_

_"Where…?"_

_"The forest. I found you like this. Where'd you come from?"_

_"Your face…"_

_He grimaced. She had finally taken note of the fact that he was part metal. He steeled himself for the insults, the screaming, and the running away. But when he looked again, he found she was smiling._

_"What?"_

_"You're half human."_

_"Uhhh…yeah. What about it?"_

_"…Nothing. Never mind."_

_"What's your name?"_

_"…My name is Raven."_

The last month went by in a matter of minutes, and then everything went black.

* * *

The demon grinned, grabbing the boy's soul around its "tail". "Ahh, I'm getting hungry just looking at it…" He opened his mouth wide, ready to devour it.

"HUUUAAHH!"

Suddenly, he was bombarded by green energy blasts. He looked over and saw the girl he'd bumped into earlier. It was then he realized his meal was scurrying back to its body. He growled and ran after it, but then found himself paralyzed.

"What—"

"You're really pissing me off," said Raven. Her hand was surrounded by black energy, just like the demon's body. She swung him into the wall. He got up again, but was hit in the back by something hard and metal: Robin's staff. He stumbled forward, and looked up—only to find himself staring down the barrel of a Cyborg's sonic cannon. The machine-human hybrid bared his teeth.

"EAT THIS!!!"

* * *

Batman swung down to the arena, and immediately wished he hadn't. The sight of a headless demon was rather unpleasant. Several white lights rose from the body, and flew off in separate directions. 'At least the souls will be returned,' he thought.

Robin grimaced at the scene, but then turned to Raven and smiled. "Guess we had the wrong person."

"Yeah, guess you did," she said coldly. Cyborg nudged her, and she sighed. He shrugged.

"Since she won't say it, I will: Thanks. I owe you my soul," he laughed.

"Think nothing of it," said Starfire cheerfully.

"Do you two have a place to stay?" Batman cut in.

Cyborg scratched his head. "We couldn't…"

"We have a satellite that could hold the population of a small city. You could, and you will."

"The JL satellite?! WHOO! Ya hear that, Rae? We're dining in style tonight!"

"No," Raven whispered.

Cyborg stared at her. "What?"

"No. I can't stay with you. I've been enough of a pain in the ass already," she said, jamming her hands in her pockets and turning around. "I'll see you around, Cy."

Before she took two steps, Cyborg grabbed her and slung her over his shoulder.

"Cy, what the fu—"

"You haven't been a pain in the ass, Raven. You're my friend. Hell, you're the only real friend I've had since I became Cyborg! And _we _are gonna kick it in style with the Justice League!"

Raven smiled. "Thanks, Cyborg."

"No prob'."

Batman gestured to Robin that it was time to leave, so they turned and started walking. Starfire followed, and so did Cyborg and Raven; the two newest members of this strange little group.

"Cy?"

"Yeah, Rae?"

"…You can put me down now."

"Not a chance, Raven. Not a chance."

**Blowfish: Yeah, I know that chapter may have seemed almost CyRae-ish, but that wasn't really my intention. I was sort of trying to convey how strong their friendship is. Cyborg's kind of like a big brother to her. Anyway, that took me FOREVER to type, so I hope you like it. I originally was going to introduce Cy by himself, but my idea for how to do it was kind of lame. So, I decided to stick him with Raven, making this chapter uber long! But you know what this means: Four Titans down, one to go.**

**Next time: A science lab calls the League asking for help finding their test subject, and they send Batman, Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Raven to take care of it. But after meeting this test subject, they have doubts about the legality of the lab's experiments. Is this strange "Beast Boy" telling the truth, or is he just trying to get out? Find out next time! Seeya!**


	3. Little Green Boys

**Blowfish: Ack, it's been a while. I need to work on getting this stuff up quicker. I was so inspired with "Heroes" that I sort of cast this story aside for longer than I intended. Ahh, I've got the creative juices flowing now, though. And to help it along, my Beethoven CD! Gotta love Symphony No. 9! Still, I'm having a hard time. I know where I want to go, but not how to get there. And I'm really supposed to be writing an essay on ethical behavior right now. Eh. Anyway, I got reviews.**

**BlackShield: Ah, the master of angst graces me with his presence yet again. I'm glad you like it. Oh, and about the CyRae stuff…ugh, don't want to spoil any of the story. Sorry. I know what you mean about the chapter length, I hate it! I mean, a chapter is supposed to be more than half a page, people! Really. I'm glad you like the introductions, and I hope you like Beast Boy's! (Naughty BB-chan gets a chap all to himself.)**

**BunnyKat: JL does rock, doesn't it? I just couldn't leave Bats out of the action, so I decided to do the whole ear thing. Thanks, I always thought Rae and Cy had a sort of brother/sister thing going.**

**tempestchaos18: I dunno, Cy's just like that. nn**

**Grumbumble: You liked the tights line? Heh, so did I. I just thought of making him say "What's got your pants in a twist", but then I realized Batman doesn't wear pants! Aaaaanyyywhooo...I'm glad you liked the stuff between Cyborg and Raven. I like to keep lots of action going in my stories, I'm happy it shows. I'm actually not quite sure what gave me the idea for Barak's café. I think I was just looking for an excuse to put a karaoke stage in one of my stories, heh heh. I have the strangest obsession with karaoke…Oo**

**MCLBLUE: The BEST?! WHOO! (Blowfish jumps and dances around like a madwoman. She looks as if she's on the verge of a Broadway musical number, but Chimpy slaps some sense into her.) Whew…sorry.**

**Silver Foxglove: Yay! I like to know that I'm not doing a crappy job with emotion; it's so easy to screw up. I'm also happy to hear you like the descriptions. (I believe I have the tendency to go overboard. Oo;)**

**K9 the First: Nah, actually Raven and BB kinda clash in this chap.**

**Ro: Hope you like this chap!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or Justice League. But I DO own the world! MWAHAHAHAHAHA!!! (is being taken off to the loony bin) I'M NOT CRAZY! I'M JUST SPECIAL!**

**Chimpy: Oh yeah, you're REALLY "special".**

**"talking" 'thinking'**

**Blowfish: Anyway, I hope you guys like this!**

**

* * *

**"Yo, you asleep there, Rae?"

Raven rolled over on the sofa, coming face to face with Cyborg. Her expression was one of disdain.

"Well, I _was._"

"Heh, sorry."

Raven yawned and sat up, only to be taken from behind into a bone-crushing hug.

"Friend Raven! You have awakened from your slumber! I am joyful, as we now may discuss Earthly things, or consume carbonated beverages in the room of eating, or perform braiding maneuvers on each other's hair, or—"

"Starfire…how about…we let me breathe?"

"Oh!" Starfire exclaimed, letting go of Raven. "I am deeply sorry for my intrusion upon your space."

"More like my windpipe," Raven grumbled. Wonder Woman and Green Arrow walked into the room.

"You kids enjoying your stay?" Arrow asked.

"I'd enjoy it more if Miss Touchy-Feely would back off," Raven said. She sauntered out of the room, and Starfire seemed to physically droop.

"Friend Cyborg, I am getting the feeling that Raven does not enjoy my presence," Starfire said. Cyborg shrugged.

"Raven's just different from you, Star. To each his own, I guess. She really is okay, you've just gotta give her some time."

It had been four days. Raven and Cyborg had taken residence in two of the vacant rooms in the JL satellite. Cyborg had quickly settled and become fast friends with Robin, Starfire, and the rest of the League. Raven, however, spurned all friendly advances made toward her, treating the League with respect and detachment. Even Starfire's infectious cheerfulness had not affected her. She rarely found much to talk about with anybody, and spent most of her time meditating or leafing through the satellite's colossal library.

"Well," Wonder Woman said. "If you ask me, she can be a bit rude at times."

Cyborg frowned. "Ya got a point there. She hasn't really made many friends, has she?"

Starfire jumped up in protest. "I consider Raven a friend, even if she does not think the same of me. I also think that she has made very good friends with J'on and Robin."

"That's true. Boy Wonder and her have that whole secrecy thing going."

"I think she respects J'on as a telepath," Wonder Woman said.

"Yeah," Cyborg agreed. Suddenly, there was a large rumbling from his stomach. Everybody looked at him. "Lunch time!"

* * *

The food court was abuzz with chatter. Starfire, food tray in hand, spotted Cyborg, Robin, and Raven seated at a table. Cyborg appeared telling Robin a story, and Robin was listening intently. Raven seemed more focused on the book shielding her face. She approached the table and sat down, listening to Cyborg and Robin's conversation.

"—Can you believe that?" Cyborg asked.

"Wow," Robin said. "Yeah, that definitely sounds like it had something to do with you being black."

"Tell me about it."

"Black?" Starfire interjected.

Cyborg stared at her quizzically. "You know, black." Starfire's curious expression remained. "The color of my skin…?"

"But friend Cyborg…you are brown."

Cyborg and Robin looked at her in absolute shock. The awkward silence was interrupted by someone giggling. The boys were even more shocked to find it was coming from Raven. She put down her book and covered her mouth, trying to stem her laughter.

"Don't you guys get it?" she asked. They shook their heads. "She doesn't know what race is."

Starfire was even more confused. "Is race not the species you are of?"

Raven shook her head. "On this planet, it means the color of your skin."

Starfire's expression grew concerned. "But why would people wish to divide itself by such small differences?"

Cyborg grinned and put an arm around Starfire's neck, pulling her into a bear hug. "I KNEW I liked this girl!"

Robin stared at her quizzically. "So, there isn't any racism on your planet?"

Starfire just returned a blank stare. "…Racism?"

"Uhh…"

"It means being an asshole based on how someone looks," Raven interjected. "Like if Robin was to be mean to Cyborg because he's black."

Starfire looked thoughtful. "…I still do not understand why you use the term black, but I think I see what you mean. We Tamaranians come in different shades of my skin color. Rarely as dark as Cyborg or as light as you, unless one is ill. But I still do not understand why—"

Suddenly, Green Arrow came running over. "Hey," he said. "Come on, the others want you guys in the mission room."

"Why?" asked Cyborg.

"Dunno, but it sounds important."

The four teens shrugged. "Alright, you guys. Let's go!" Robin said.

* * *

Superman was in the middle of the mission room when Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, and Raven rushed in. Green Arrow followed close behind, and Batman seemed to appear from nowhere. 

"What do you need us for, Big Guy?" Cyborg asked, giving him a salute.

"We received an email from a biological testing lab in Jump City. They have…err…lost their test subject."

Batman paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Why ask us? This is the police's problem."

"They don't want to cause a panic. This thing is dangerous."

"So, you want us to track it down?" asked Robin.

"Yes. I figured Arrow and Batman could use some help, and most everybody is deployed on the Zandia case right now, or something else. Everybody that's still here is monitoring the satellite."

"Glorious!" Starfire cried, floating off the ground. "We shall capture and return this beast to the men of science!"

Cyborg smiled at his friend's sunny disposition. He glanced at Raven, who looked thoughtful. "What's up?" he queried.

"Not sure…does this seem fishy to anyone but me?"

"It does seem a bit weird," Robin agreed.

"Well, weird or not, we have to check it out," Arrow said firmly. "Beam us down."

* * *

"The lab placed a tracker on our target," Batman said. 

"Good, we could use some easy work," the Emerald Archer commented.

"I doubt this will be easy."

The group was in separate parts of the city, all communicating by com-link. Starfire and Robin were closing in on the target from the east, Cyborg and Raven from the west, and Green Arrow and Batman from the south. The blinking dot on the screen that was their target was changing speed and direction erratically, making it hard to follow. They only definite path that it seemed to follow was the one towards the city limits.

"Whatever this thing is, it's trying to leave the city as fast as possible," Robin said. "We'd better catch this thing before it gets out." He sped up his R-cycle.

"Agreed," Starfire replied firmly, flying alongside of him.

Cyborg and Raven were creeping through dark alleys.

"I think we're close," Cyborg whispered through clenched teeth. Raven nodded. The blinking dot was within yards of them. With a small "chk-chk", Cyborg deployed his sonic cannon. The sorceress next to him held up her hands, and they began to glow with dark energy. They peered around the corner.

There was a bushy green tail sticking out of a trash can. An audible snarling was emanating from it, and there was a great stink in the air (obviously from the contents of the trash can). The trash can tipped over, and a disgruntled green wolf tumbled out. Its ears perked up and it turned to face a large, mechanical man with a cannon in place of his right arm.

"Stop right there, 'Balto'," he ordered. (A/N: I love _Balto. _Kick-ass movie.)

The wolf growled and began advancing. A girl appeared beside the mechanical man. The animal was angry now. The odds were uneven.

"Just chill, fido," the metallic one said. The wolf snarled. It was fed up with this name-calling.

It lunged.

* * *

Robin turned another corner on his R-cycle. He was getting the growing feeling that something wasn't right. 'Maybe I'm just paranoid. Rae and Cy will probably already be finished by the time we get there.' Suddenly, Robin's com-link blasted in his ear. 

"GAAAAAHHH! GET OFF ME, YOU SON OF A—AHH!"

'Or not.'

"Robin? Did you hear that?" Starfire asked fearfully.

"Yeah," he responded grimly. "We'd better motor!"

* * *

"Cyborg!" Raven yelled. The wolf was on him, attempting to chew his arm off. Cyborg's sonic cannon spun out of control, sending blasts everywhere. Raven evaded them, trying to stay focused on the wolf. 

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" she yelled. The wolf slammed into the wall and slid to the ground, whimpering. Then, something she or Cyborg never would have expected took place.

The canine's paws twisted and shriveled into nothingness, and its arms were sucked into its body. The now appendage-less body stretched and twisted, and all of the time the animal looked less and less like a wolf. The green fur was replaced with green scales, and the pointed nose became flatter, slits taking the place of nostrils. The animal got longer and longer until it could no longer be called a wolf at all.

It was a snake.

"Crap," Raven whispered.

"We are _fucked,_" Cyborg agreed.

The snake shot at them, barely giving any time to dodge. Once the humans were safely out of the way, however, the snake darted into a sewer drain. There was no need to linger.

"_God DAMN it!" _Cyborg yelled.

"Swearing is a terrible habit," a voice chided him. The duo turned to face Green Arrow and Batman. "What did you find?"

"That this thing can change from a wolf to a snake. Probably more, judging by our recent run of luck."

Robin and Starfire came up to them. "So, it went in the sewer, right?" Robin said.

Raven looked at him. _"NO. _No _way _am I skipping through twenty miles of sewage to find some stupid snake."

* * *

"I can't _believe _I'm skipping through twenty miles of sewage to find some stupid snake." 

Robin chuckled. "You aren't exactly skipping."

"Shut it." Starfire giggled, and Cyborg looked up at her disdainfully.

"Keep on laughing, and I'll pull you down. I can't believe you girls can float while the rest of us have to walk through all of this sh—" Batman held up his hand, signaling for quiet. There was something there. A sound, barely audible, came from the tunnels up ahead. Batman's face turned white, and he whispered something hoarsely.

"Come again?" Arrow asked.

"Crocodile."

Robin's hand went over his eyes. "Oh, you've _got _to be—"

A seven-foot crocodile charged out of the water snapping at all it could see. These humans were in its way. Two of them were the ones from before! They must be following it. One of the human's shoulders popped up and turned into a flashlight. The reptile's pupils turned into slits, and it dove back down.

Starfire hurled several starbolts, but to no avail. It had gone back under the surface. The group closed in together, making sure no one would be hurt. Robin looked over to Batman. The Dark Knight nodded, and they pulled similar disks out of their utility belts. The crocodile rose again, but this time they were ready. The disks hit the crocodile and exploded, spreading red powder all over it. Once it hit the water (and whatever else was in that foul sewage), it changed to a strange goo. No matter how much the crocodile wriggled, it couldn't free itself.

"What the hell is that?" asked Cyborg.

Batman smiled. "We call it 'Bat-Goo'. Robin's idea," he said, ruffling his protégé's hair.

Green Arrow snickered. "'Bat-Goo'?"

"…For lack of a better term, yes."

"Look!" Starfire yelled, pointing at the subdued crocodile. It was changing shape rapidly. Fish…rat…lion…emu…mongoose…pig…the list went on and on.

"This thing would make a cool pet," Cyborg mused. Suddenly, it changed shape again, getting taller, sprouting green hair and pointed ears on its head, and stretching to full height as something no one had expected—a human.

"DUDE! I am _nobody's _pet!"

"WHOA!" Cyborg yelled, falling backwards. Standing in front of him was a boy who was…very green. He had green hair, green eyes, and even green skin. His elfin ears were twitching, and he bared his sharp canine teeth. The only un-green thing about him was a pair of blue jeans. He tried to step forward, but the goo held him in place. He swore under his breath.

Arrow was in a state of shock. "Umm…excuse me…what…are you?"

The green boy looked up at him indignantly. "I'm human! I can just change into stuff." He paused, looking fearful. "Are you here to take me back to the lab?"

"Uhh…yeah…but…did they do this to you?"

He snorted. "Man, those guys don't have anywhere _near _the brains to do this. That was the reason they captured me, though."

"Captured you? You mean they kidnapped you?"

"Yeah, I guess. Not to mention experimenting on me, screwing around with samples of my DNA, and using it for genetic engineering projects. Oh, and the reason I left is because they were trying to dissect me."

"B-but that's—!"

"Illegal? Tell me about it. I hate scalpels," he said, gesturing to a small, recent-looking cut on his bare chest. (A/N: drool…) "Guess you guys are gonna take me back, though, huh? I think I pissed you two off pretty badly," he added, pointed to Cyborg and Raven.

Cyborg's expression hardened. "Damn straight you did. But if some white-coat bastards are gonna cut you up, we ain't gonna take you back…err…what's your name?"

The boy paused. "People call me Beast Boy."

"The name's Cyborg," he said, sticking out his hand. "This is Raven, Robin, Batman, Green Arrow, and Starfire."

"Nice to meet ya. Now, if I may ask: How the _hell _do I get out of this red stuff?"

* * *

Beast Boy sat in the back seat of the Batmobile grumbling. He was being treated like such a kid; no choice in anything. He didn't want to go back to the lab, but Batman insisted on "bringing the scientists to justice". Beast Boy wanted them to pay for what they did to him, but a part of him was frightened to go back there. He tapped his foot impatiently and slumped into the seat. Seeing his obvious discomfort, Green Arrow decided to lighten things up with conversation. 

"So, Beast Boy, how old are you?"

"Fourteen, I guess."

"Guess?"

"I haven't celebrated my birthday much in a while, but I know when it is, and I know what year I was born in."

"Oh…why don't you celebrate your birthday?"

"No one to remind me."

"Oh. Hey, you're a bit young to be on your own, aren't you?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "I dunno. What does it matter?"

"Well—"

"We're almost there," Batman interrupted. "Beast Boy, are there any security measures in the compound?"

"Uh, YEAH. The guards, the DNA-programmed cannons, the electric fences, and all the normal fixings of a FULLY-LOADED DEATHTRAP."

"Ah...what do you mean by DNA-programmed cannons?"

"They'll shoot at any un-familiar DNA or DNA that's on high-priority file. Like mine."

"How did you manage to escape?"

"I chewed through some of the electrical wires and shorted out the system. Got shocked a lot, though, and I bet they've already repaired them."

Batman pushed a button on the dashboard. "You guys get all that?"

"Yeah," Robin's voice said, coming from the speaker. "But how are we going to get in?"

"I can get in," Raven said. "But I'll need someone who knows the place to guide me. Then I can short out the electricity so you guys can get in."

Batman turned to Beast Boy. "You up to it?"

"I think I know it well enough," the changeling agreed.

"It's settled, then. Meet by the building on Fourth Ave. We're going in."

* * *

It was dark in the lab, but there were beakers bubbling, lights blinking, and test tubes steaming; Raven was vaguely reminded of descriptions of witch's lairs in books she had read. There was no one present, and a large dissection table was in the middle of the room. 'That must have been where they were going to—' 

"Raven! Are you _there?!_"

Raven jumped at Beast Boy's voice. Once she realized it was only him, she growled. He was one of the most annoying people she had ever met, including Starfire. At least Starfire wasn't telling jokes every five minutes, or being arrogant and cocky. Raven _hated _arrogant and cocky people.

"Yes, I'm here. I'm in the main lab, by the dissection table."

"Eugh, that brings me back. Anyway, do you see a fuse box?" Raven looked around, and her gaze finally landed on a gray box on the wall. She went over and opened it, revealing a multitude of switches and wires.

"Found it. Which ones do I cut?"

"Uhh…let's see…"

"_Tell _me you didn't just chew through all of them until you got lucky."

"No! That would've killed me! I only chewed through the green, red and black ones. I know it was one of them."

"Oh _God_…"

"Hey, _you _try focusing on what you're doing while a bunch of guys with needles are chasing after you!"

Raven rolled her eyes and pulled out her wire-cutters, and paused. Something wasn't right. She was getting a sinking feeling in her stomach. Meanwhile, Beast Boy was still rambling.

"—and I was half-sedated! Christ, do you know what it's like being a half-sedated mouse? It's like being on—"

"Beast Boy, shut up."

"Don't you tell me to shut up! Just cut the damn wires!"

"Beast Boy, I'm trying to list—"

THWACK!

SMACK!

Crack.

Thud.

"…Raven?"

The only sound that came was a deep, animal-like snarling.

"…Raven, are you there?"

"…Ahh…"

"RAVEN!" Beast Boy yelled through his com-link. Robin looked panicked.

"What's going on?"

"I don't know!!!"

"Chill, man," Cyborg said, though he sounded very tense. He checked the Batmobile's sensors. "I think the electricity's disabled. Whatever got to her, it didn't get to her before she cut the wires." Batman nodded.

"Let's go."

* * *

Bob and Devon were terrible watchmen. It wasn't so much that they were underpaid, but that they were just lazy. There hadn't been anything going on at the lab, anyway, except for that escaped subject. And they hadn't even been on duty that night. There was nothing to be afraid of. So, they often found creative ways to pass the long, uneventful hours. 

"Hey look, I made a crane!" Bob said happily. Devon looked up from his novel to see a small paper crane in his friend's hands.

"Nifty."

"Yeah, my wife got this little book on paper-folding, and I decided to try it out. I'm working on the monkey next," he said, placing the crane with his other creations.

"Ah."

"How's the novel?"

"It's…it's fine."

"Not a good read?"

"Nah. Good. Just not great, ya know?" Bob nodded sagely.

"Um, excuse me." The watchmen looked up to see a blond man in green tights and cap, and a bow and quiver on his back. Standing next to him was a very green teenage boy who was shirtless and wearing jeans. They were both grinning insanely.

"Good evening, gentlemen. I'm Beast Boy," the green boy said.

"And I'm Green Arrow," added the blond man.

"And this," said Beast Boy, pulling out a small ball. "Is approximately 12 ounces of knockout gas." With that, he threw down the ball, and Bob and Devon were out like lights.

* * *

Cyborg sent another guard slamming into the wall. He looked to his right, and there was one heading for the alarm. Batman swooped down and grabbed him. Once all of the guards were disposed of, the two continued. 

"So, do you put a tracker on all of your com-links?" Cyborg asked.

Batman nodded. "For cases such as these. Or if my 'partners' decide to take a little detour."

"Ah. You've had to work with some people you don't like, I see."

"We all have to work with people we don't like at some point."

"True. We're closing in." They saw a door with a keypad in front of them. Cyborg rolled his eyes. "Pssh. Honestly, they're gonna have to do better than that. _No _security system can keep Cy out." He placed his hand next to the pad, and wires came from his fingers. They connected to the keypad, and he looked to the monitor on his arm. Within minutes, the door was open.

"Nice work for someone your age," Batman commented. Cyborg felt a surge of pride.

"Thanks. Now…" Their faces became solemn as they both drew their weapons. As they stepped into the room, the door closed behind them, and the room turned dark. Cyborg swore under his breath.

"We've been caught," Batman muttered.

"Indeed you have," said a voice. They squinted to see a man in a white lab coat standing before them. "Batman…and who is your companion? Quite an interesting specimen. I know a very good cybernetics engineer who would have a blast taking a look at you."

"I'm sure he would," Cyborg growled. The man tutted, shaking his head.

"Too bad he's not here. You're just stuck with a simple biologist, I'm afraid. I'm more of a zoologist, really. Or at least I was. But then I found that dazzling boy and his powers. You're here with him, aren't you?" Batman and Cyborg tensed up. "Yes, you are. Ah well. Your little lady friend gave us a bit of trouble, cutting the power. And I am still baffled as to how she got in. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that you're here. Come on in, join the party."

Cyborg forced a wicked grin, holding up his sonic cannon. "A party! And we forgot to bring dip."

"Well then," the man said quietly. A gigantic shadow loomed behind him, and a deep, animal-like snarling could be heard. "You'll do as a snack instead."

* * *

"Up here?" Starfire asked. 

"Yes," Robin answered. She linked her arms underneath his and lifted him into the air. In a matter of minutes, they were on the roof. There was a large vent protruding from it. Robin pulled out a bird-a-rang and loosened the bolts as much as he could. Then Starfire gently (by Tamaranian standards) pulled off the covering.

"Shall we?" she said.

"Yes, lets," he agreed. They clambered through the opening and crawled through a large stretch of the shaft. Robin stopped suddenly. "Listen," he whispered.

"…little lady friend gave us a bit of trouble, cutting the power."

Starfire gasped. "It is—" Robin shushed her. He pointed to the ventilation grate. She nodded and tore it off. Robin attached his grappling hook to the top of the shaft and lowered himself upside-down, Spiderman-style. Starfire floated down with him. They could see a hulking form perched over Cyborg and Batman. Next to it was a man in a white coat, who was talking.

"…you'll do as a snack instead," he said. He paused and turned around, facing Robin and Starfire. "Oh, and look, you brought friends." Robin and Starfire exchanged horrified glances. He could see them. "Now, my creation," he said, putting a hand on the still not-quite-visible form. "Play nice."

* * *

Beast Boy and Green Arrow dashed through the halls, knowing that every second that went by was one that Raven (and possibly the rest of the group) was in danger. Suddenly, they heard a high-pitched scream. 

"Starfire!" Beast Boy yelled. They ran in the direction of the scream and came to a door. Beast Boy growled viscously. "ALRIGHT, THIS DOOR'S COMIN' DOWN!" Arrow grabbed his arm.

"Wait a second!"

"Wait for what?! The others are in trouble!"

"We could be walking right into a trap!"

"So?! We're wasting time! It doesn't matter if it's a trap, it's my fault we're in here in the first place!"

"…Is that really what you think?"

"If you guys hadn't had to look for me, we would've never met, and if I had just shut my mouth for two seconds, nothing would've happened to Raven! So whether you want to or not, I'm going in!" He stomped forward, and raised his fist, ready to morph into the animal that suited his needs.

"Hey, kid." Beast Boy turned around to see Arrow with his bow ready. "You're gonna need some help." Beast Boy grinned.

"Thanks."

"No problem. Now, on the count of three…One…" Beast Boy morphed into a wildebeest. _"Two…"_ He lowered his head and spread his hooves. _"THREE!"_ He rammed through the door, shining light throughout the darkened room.

"Mary, mother of God…" Arrow whispered.

There was a colossal green beast in the middle of the room fighting off Batman, Cyborg, and Starfire at the same time. The beast had a strange mixture of fur, skin, and scales. Its eyes, though numerous, were empty and soulless, and it had a strange tentacles coming out of its back. The monster was four-legged, each foot ending in claws of every fashion, and its misshapen mouth was lined with razor sharp teeth. Beast Boy was horrified. This _thing_, whatever it was, was an obscenity. He paused and looked around.

"Where's Robin? And Raven?" he asked Arrow. The Emerald Archer shrugged.

"At your service," came a voice. Arrow and Beast Boy looked to their left to see the two come running up.

"What the hell _is_ that thing?" Beast Boy asked.

"I think it's an attempt to clone you," Robin said. "Or rather, the animal DNA you have."

"Obviously, the results have been rather mixed," said the man in the white coat. "Most of the experiments died within hours, but this one's been living for days."

"You're sick," Beast Boy said. "You're just sick."

"Sick? Or genius?"

"Nope. Definitely sick." The man growled and lunged at him, but Arrow got to him first. He pushed Beast Boy out of the way and the white-coat sent him toppling over. Beast Boy rushed forward.

"Go!" Arrow yelled. "I've got this taken care of!" Beast Boy nodded, and he ran over to help the others.

Starfire was in the beast's claws, wiggling every which way trying to get free. She kept firing starbolts, but it just wouldn't let go. Cyborg was hanging around its neck, hoping to cause enough distraction to keep its mind off Batman, who it was attempting to stomp. Beast Boy changed into a tiger and dodged its tentacles, getting in close enough to sink his teeth into its leg. It howled in pain and flung Starfire into the airborne Raven, sending both girls crashing to the floor.

"Friend Raven!" Starfire exclaimed. "I am elated to see that you are well!"

"Yeah, well I'd be better if you got off of me, Star," Raven grunted. Starfire reddened.

"Many apologies."

Meanwhile, the scientist had thrown off Green Arrow, and was making for the exit. "Ohhh, no you don't," Arrow whispered, knocking an arrow and taking aim. He heard a yell, and turned to see Robin barely missing losing his head. He looked back; the scientist was still going for the exit. Robin. Scientist. Robin. Scientist. Robin. Scientist. "Dammit…" he muttered. He turned and shot the monster in the shoulder, halting its attack on Robin. When he looked back, the scientist was gone.

Robin grimaced. This wasn't looking good. Most of the monster's attention was now back on Starfire, but its tentacles were focused on him.

"Robin, help!" she screamed.

"I'm a little tied up over here!" he yelled. "Wait a minute…tied up…Raven!"

"What?" the sorceress yelled back at him.

"Can you flip this thing over?"

"I can try. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" The beast flipped over, leaving its belly exposed. Robin fired his grappling hook, and it wrapped around one of its legs. He sprinted around and around all its legs until he had effectively hogtied it.

"Are you sure it won't break free?" Beast Boy asked.

"Definitely," Robin replied. "That rope's made from titanium alloy."

"Titanium alloy? In a rope?!"

"Heh, you didn't think me and Bats swung around on chicken wire, did you?" Everyone (excluding Raven, of course) laughed.

"That loony got away," Arrow scowled.

Batman put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about it. The police will pick him up eventually."

He nodded. "Guess we oughta be getting back." Beast Boy turned. This was his cue to slip out unseen. Just as he was about to clear the group, however, he ran into something hard and metal. He looked up to see Cyborg grinning down at him.

"And just where do you think you're going, ya little grass stain?"

"I…uh…was just going…"

Robin clapped a hand on his shoulder. "_You_ are coming with us," he said.

"What…but I got you guys in all of this tr—YOW!" he yelled as a fist came down on his head, nearly knocking him out. Raven scowled at him.

"So expect to pay me back for that," she said.

"But I couldn't…"

"Oh yes you can," Cyborg said. "Don't make me put you on my shoulder like I did with Rae." Raven smirked, and Beast Boy found himself smiling.

"All right…fine."

* * *

**Blowfish: Yay! BB's here! And if anyone was wondering, that little blurb about racism was just to demonstrate Starfire's innocence and naïveté. And also, I haven't mentioned this, but I was planning on adding more to this story than just origins. I was going to do the rest of their adventures, too. It would _not_ be a boring retelling of the episodes thus far, but another perspective with lots more plot twists and such. Also, I would leave out some insignificant stuff and put in more in between romance-y stuff, among other things. Sound good?**

**Next time: Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy are staying on the Watchtower, and questions are raised among the League about what to do with the wayward teens. But when a strange visit from Dr. Fate reveals things to come, will Robin be willing to stand by and watch? Find out next chapter! Seeya!**


	4. The Winds of Fate

**Blowfish: Guess who! Oh wait, I already typed my name. Damn. Anyway, since I updated "Heroes" twice in a row, I thought I'd do the same for this story. After this, it'll go back to normal alternating updates. And this actually works very well, seeing as I had a funny idea as to how to open this chapter. Soooo…**

**wouldntyouliketoknow?: Glad you like it. It'struethattypinglikethisishard.**

**BunnyKat: The guy who does Dr. Fate's voice does do it VERY well. And I just thought he would be appropriate for what's coming up. Heh, the insults won't stop flying between BB and Rae very often, that's for sure. And I wuv Green Arrow too.**

**ninmenju-shin: Yeah! No threats this time! (does the "no-threat" dance) Happy-happy, joy-joy, hap—**

**Chimpy: (smacks Blowfish) NO REN AND STIMPY REFERENCES! IT WAS A SHAMEFUL PERIOD OF OUR LIFE!!!**

**Blowfish: Meep.**

**Chimpy: Anyway, back to your scheduled review response already in progress:**

**ninmenju-shin: Rae and Star are going to have lots of trouble getting along in future chapters. Yeah, if you're looking for fluff, sorry. It will be a long wait for fluff, but I do hope to do a Christmas chapter this month, and maybe VERY small, fluffy hints will seep through there. (I'm already in the Christmas mood; I'm listening to "Sleigh Ride"! You know, the one with the horse and the whip!) But don't worry, if you read, it will come. You like my fight scenes? It's really hard to write them. And on the episodes, I was thinking the same thing. And not only could it be making the series cooler, I want to make it deeper. There are so many instances where I think "Hey, wouldn't it have been even more interesting/meaningful if this had happened." Not to mention, I get to add ROMANCE! WHOO!**

**Ro: The only problem I ever find with review responses is the risk of giving too much away. Ack…I do love CyRae, but I can't say ANYTHING about pairings yet. Let's just say it gets VERY jumbled and angsty. I hope you like it no matter what.**

**K9: Ahh, someone catches the other reason I added the racism blurb. I toss a cookie to a fantastic analyzer. The scientists were experimenting on him because of his looks and his powers. And I thought someone would like that line with Arrow and BB. (I actually semi-stole that from X-Men: Evolution. nn;)**

**TTJLFan: Yeah, that was one of my fav comments Cy made in the series, so I decided to put it in there. Captain Atom? It shall be done!**

**Xyteron: Thanks for all of the compliments. J'onn? So it is! I'll have to remember to spell that right from now on.**

**Anubis the guard of the dead: Thanks. Cool name, by the way; I love Egyptian mythology!**

**Grumbumble: Randomness is fun. Yeah, that's Balto. Damn that Steele, messing with Balto's cool tree-scratchings! Ahh, I looooove that movie! Heh, the Bat-Goo… Has it ever struck anyone what egotists heroes are? I mean, Batman has BAT-a-rangs, a BAT-cave, and a BATmobile. And don't even get me started on Professor Xavier. The X-Men, the X-jet, the X-gene (he SO named that himself)—I mean, come ON, how much crap can you name after yourself?!**

**Batman: Well, there is that new line of clothing I'm putting out…**

**Blowfish: …Ahhh…**

**Chimpy: Again, back to the review response…**

**Grumbumble: Yeah, I thought Cy needed some love (he gets so very few fans in the show). I don't know why I just keep adding insignificant characters (Jinsho and his gang, Bob and ****Devon****, etc.) I guess I just like adding humor. Seems like it's working! Something in your garden is on FIRE?! Holy crap! Go put it out!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of it! Really! WHY DON'T YOU BELIEVE ME?!**

**"talking" 'thinking' _flashback/Tamaranian_**

**Blowfish: Now…onward!**

**

* * *

**"Oh yes! It plays SSBM!"

"You shittin' me, boy!"

"No, really!"

"Awww yeah!"

"I wanna be Link!"

"You like everything green, don't you?"

Beast Boy shrugged. "I _am _green, aren't I? If I didn't like green, I'd be self-loathing." Cyborg chuckled.

"I think Rae has enough hate that you don't need to be," he said.

"I swear on the name Azar, I'm gonna kill you both," Raven grumbled.

"Why don't you just use your powers?" he asked, grinning.

"I...uhhh…"

"Aww, is Raven scared 'cause she's never been in space before? Or zero-G?"

"Shut up!" she yelled, flailing her legs, propelling herself into the window. "I've traveled between dimensions before! I'm not scared of—"

"What? The cold, unforgiving vacuum that is just beyond that thin strip of glass?" Raven paused, and used her feet to push away from the glass, only to knock into the other window, making her jerk. The boys laughed.

"_This _is why we should've taken Star instead," Beast Boy snickered. Raven glared at him.

"I would've _rather_ you had taken that dunderhead than tying me up and hijacking one of the Javelins!" she spat. "_She _would probably be _ecstatic_ to be out here—"

"If she wasn't such a goody-two-shoes," muttered the changeling. "She's no fun. With you, we can at least be amused." Raven scowled, and Beast Boy just sighed. Sure, maybe they would get in trouble for taking one of the League's ships for a joyride, but what did he care? It's not like they were going to be at the Watchtower much longer anyway…

_Beast Boy was walking down the hall, juggling the three oranges he had gotten from the kitchen. His attempts to keep the citruses aloft were dotted with failure, but he was really getting the hang of it._

_Life on the Watchtower for the past few days had been good. Everyone (excluding perhaps only Raven) was very nice to him, and Cyborg was a good match at videogames. He was walking past the conference room when he stopped, catching all three oranges. 'I wonder what the big guys talk about,' he pondered. Without a second thought, he set his snacks down and transformed into a mouse._

_Captain Atom (A/N: Here you go, TTJLFan!) walked over, not even noticing the small green rodent at his feet, and put his hand on the pad next to the door. Now Beast Boy was really intrigued; Superman had mentioned that they only locked the door for serious or private matters. He followed the nuclear hero into the conference room and picked up on the conversation immediately._

_"…need to figure this out sooner or later, __Clark__," J'onn said._

_"True," Superman, (AKA __Clark__Kent__) said. He turned to Captain Atom. "Glad you could make it, Cap."_

_"No problem, sir," he said, giving his superior a salute. Supergirl chuckled from the other side of the room._

_"At ease, corporal," she said. Atom's stale expression turned to a small smile. Beast Boy took a moment to survey the group: Among Captain Atom, Supergirl, Superman, and J'onn were Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Batman, and Green Lantern._

_'Sweet. Exclusive meeting,' Beast Boy thought excitedly._

_"So Flash isn't here?" Atom asked._

_"Doing clean-up on the Zandia case," Green Lantern said._

_"So…what's up?" There was an uncomfortable silence._

_"It's the kids," he said finally. Wonder Woman snorted._

_"I don't even get why we're having this conversation," she snarled._

_"They _can't _stay here, Diana."_

_"I see no reason why not."_

_"They're loud, hindering, unruly, and—"_

_"They have nowhere else to go!"_

_"—_And _they haven't given us any information we could use to locate anyone to take them in. No family, friends, or—"_

_"Have you even considered that they might not have any?"_

_"They can't stay, and you know it." Wonder Woman's shoulders sagged and she let out a long sigh. "We did promise to help Starfire find a home on Earth. Maybe someone could take her in—_not _you, Kara," he added as Supergirl opened her mouth. She shut it and crossed her arms. "I mean a real home, a real family."_

_"Fat chance," Kara said, hanging her head. "Families want little kids, not teenagers. They wouldn't take Star, no matter how much like a kid she is."_

_"We'll find someone for her. I'm not sure what to do with Raven, though. She wouldn't exactly willingly submit to be adopted, or going anywhere she doesn't want to. She'd probably get as far away from us as possible. I think she wants to already."_

_"Tell me about it," Atom said. "That girl's about as slippery as you can get."_

_"What about Cyborg?" asked J'onn._

_"We can worry a little less about him; he'll be an adult in few months," Lantern pointed out._

_"But what then?" questioned Superman. "He doesn't have any support."_

_"We can send him to college. He's a smart boy, he could get into any tech school in the country. They'd have a field day with a guy like him. After that, I'm sure he could get a good job."_

_"Beast Boy?" Green Arrow asked. Beast Boy tensed up._

_"…I don't know. Maybe adoption or foster care for him, too."_

_"So those Frankenstein creeps can find him again? Even if they don't, can you imagine what school would be like for him? For any of them? Whether we care to admit it or not, they're not normal!"_

_"Normal or not, he needs a home, Arrow. They all do. There's nothing we can do about that."_

"BB? You okay, man?" Cyborg asked, looking concerned. Beast Boy shook away his other thoughts.

"Uhh…yeah!" he said brightly.

"You went over a minute without annoying me," Raven grunted. "Something's wrong."

"Nope," he lied. "Nothin'."

"Oh," said Cyborg. "Well then…it is my pleasure to tell you that you just got your ass kicked!"

"What?!" Beast Boy looked on the small screen to see a blond ninja send a green-clad swordsman flying off the platform and into the abyss.

"Haaah! Gotcha!"

"Hey…are you playing as Zelda? Ha ha, Cy wants to be a princess!"

"Shut up! I only wanted to use Sheik! He rules!"

"Link rules more! I want a rematch!"

"You're on, little man!"

"Ahh, the wonders of testosterone…" Raven muttered. After several rematches, the boys got bored with Super Smash Bros. Melee. Raven was on the verge of falling asleep again when Cyborg poked her. "What?" He pointed out the window.

A huge swirling of color was before them. Raven paused and backed away from the window. Seeing the rest of the planet, she smiled.

"Saturn," she said breathlessly. "We're at Saturn." There was a moment of brief silence and awe within the trio. Then it hit her. "HOLY CRAP, WE"RE AT SATURN!"

This slightly obvious revelation shook Cyborg from his trance. "We have enough fuel to get back, right?" he asked Beast Boy. The elfin boy nodded.

"Plenty. In fact…"

"Ohhhh no," Raven said, her eyes widening. "Cy, he's got that glint in his eye."

"BB? Don't do anything stupid, now. BB?!" Beast Boy, however, wasn't listening to his mechanical companion. He was too busy staring at a button on the dashboard that read "TURBO DRIVE". "Ohhhh, BB, don't. Don't! Do—"

But before Cyborg could say anything more, Beast Boy slammed his fist down on the button.

* * *

"Robin?" Starfire asked. 

"Yeah, Star?" he answered, lowering his magazine. They were on the computer monitor deck. Robin was enjoying Batman's comfortable swivel chair and his own magazine, and Starfire was discovering the wonders of Twinkies.

"I have not seen our friends for some time. Where have they gone?"

"Ahh, you know them. Cyborg and Beast Boy are probably playing the latest videogame, and Raven's probably in the library or something."

"But Robin, I have checked the room of recreation, the library, and all of Raven's usual meditation spots. I have been unable to locate her _or_ the boys."

Robin sat forward, setting his chin in his palm. "That _is_ odd…" The mechanized doors "swooshed" open, and Batman and J'onn walked in, arguing.

"Javelin X-23 (A/N: I swear, if anyone knows what that's a reference to, I may have to kiss them.) is _not_ deployed on any mission," J'onn said, sounding uncharacteristically irritated. "It should be in the docks."

"But it's not," Batman said. "_You_ are the one who keeps track of the Javelins. Where is it?!"

_"I don't know!" _J'onn burst out. Starfire stepped in between them, her mouth partially filled with Twinkie.

"Pleaf my frienfs, mo more mean talhkinf," she said.

_"What?!" _both of them yelled at her. She squeaked and swallowed the rest of the pastry.

"You need not argue," she said softly. "My _k'norfka _once told me that nothing is accomplished through fighting, it is talking that will solve one's problems. Now…what is it that is wrong?"

"One of the Javelins is missing," Batman scowled.

"Javelins? The admirable vessels in the docks?"

"Yes."

"So many things missing today…" she observed quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"I am unable to find Raven, Beast Boy, or Cyborg anywhere. But that is impossible unless they were to leave the Watchtower…" she paused as if something had just dawned on her. Batman's eyes widened, and J'onn and Robin stared at him.

Robin looked out the window. "You don't think…" Suddenly, a Javelin tore past the window at unfathomable speeds.

"I hate Mondays…" Batman muttered.

* * *

_"One of the most imbecilic, irresponsible things I've EVER seen! What in God's name were you thinking?!"_

"Err…" Beast Boy murmured, sweating. "Not much…" Raven jabbed him, and Green Lantern threw his hands up in the air, muttering savagely. Wonder Woman and J'onn sighed for about the eighth time, and Superman crossed his arms over his chest. Robin and Starfire were behind them, eager to know what would happen, and Batman was watching with a rather peeved expression. Supergirl and Green Arrow were in the back of the group, looking as if they might burst out laughing any second.

"I swear, if I had any hair left to lose—"

"We said we were sorry…"

_"Sorry?! This isn't a 'sorry' thing! You don't get off just because you're 'sorry'! What you did was dangerous! You could've hurt yourselves!"_

Beast Boy could feel his anger rising. Lantern had no right to tell him what to do.

"I guess you don't get it, so let me give it to youstraight:_ You are under OUR roof! You will abide by OUR rules! You—"_

_"Why do you care, huh?!" _Beast Boy screamed, catching everyone off guard. _"It's not like you're gonna have us here much longer anyway!" _There was a long, shocked silence. "I…I heard you guys the other day. You just can't wait to get rid of us."

Green Arrow stepped forward. "Beast Boy, that's not tru—"

"Don't give me any of that! You're gonna toss Cy into college and ship the rest of us off to foster care!" Raven, Cyborg, and Starfire were wide-eyed. "Cy wouldn't last two minutes with all those bozos. They wouldn't understand him. And Star's the only one of us who has a remote chance of getting someone to take care of us. No offense to Rae or anything, but she's not the type that people are looking for. And do you actually think that some couple will want a pointy-eared kid who can become a dinosaur? I mean…I'm used to getting passed around…really, I don't mind that. But did you have to pretend like you cared?"

"Beast Boy, we do—"

"No! Just…just leave me alone." He stuffed his hands in his pockets and walked out, the door closing behind him. There was a long pause. Raven let out what sounded like a mixture between a snort and a sigh, and disappeared into the wall. Cyborg quietly walked in the direction Beast Boy had gone, Starfire floating dismally behind him. Robin took a long, hard look at the rest of them, and silently followed his friends.

* * *

Forty-six. Forty-seven. Forty-eight. Forty-nine. Fifty. Fifty-one. Fifty-two. Fifty-three… 

Raven hit the punching bag a few more times before finally sitting down and taking a swig of water out of her bottle.

"Can I join you?" Raven looked up to meet another pair of blue eyes: Robin.

"Sure." Robin sat down and occupied himself with the task of fiddling with a loose thread on his shirt. Raven closed her eyes and leaned back against the wall. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Robin raised his head.

"Star won't look at me," he whispered. Raven didn't open her eyes, but she put her hands behind her head and stretched out her feet in a very relaxed manner.

"She's just sad," Raven yawned. "She doesn't blame you. None of us do."

"But I could've done something. Put a word in. But I just walked away like a coward instead." Raven nodded.

"'He who asks a question is a fool for a moment. He who does not ask a question is a fool forever.'"

"Confucius?"

"Mmm."

"Well, he's right. I am a fool."

"'We all are for most of our lives.'"

"Jean Valjean, _Les Miserables_."

"Right again."

"Wanna spar?" Robin said suddenly. Raven opened one eye.

"Sure."

They threw punches and kicks for half an hour, Robin winning almost every time. But just when he would get cocky, Raven would pin him. During their seventh match, a sudden, brisk wind swept through the room. They both stopped and looked around suspiciously. A light exploded in front of them in the shape of an ankh, causing them to step back. A large figure stepped from the light and only became visible after it had disappeared.

It was Dr. Fate.

"Man, you scared me doc," said Robin. "I thought the Watchtower might be under attack or something."

"Hmm. It appears I have missed my destination yet again," Dr. Fate mused. "How are you, Robin?"

"Fine. Where were you trying to go?"

"The conference room. My incessant lack of sleep has been disturbing my aura. It has been making it a difficult task to teleport correctly."

"I think Rae might know what you're talking about."

"Who?"

"Oh!" Robin gestured towards Raven. "This is Raven. Raven, meet Dr. Fate."

"Charmed," she muttered sarcastically. Robin rolled his eyes. Did she have to be impolite to _everyone?_

"Raven, you say?" Fate said, suddenly curious.

"Yeah. Why?" she snapped. She was getting very strange vibes from this guy.

"No reason," he said quickly, sticking out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Raven." Raven eyed his hand for a moment before shaking it. "No need to be mistrustful," he laughed. "My intentions are not foul. So, why are you here?" Raven shrugged.

"No real reason, I guess."

"You are a guest, I take it." She nodded. "Oh. Any other guests here presently?"

"Yeah!" Robin said. "How'd you know?"

"A lucky guess. May I meet them, perhaps?"

"Sure."

As the three of them walked down the hall, Raven was getting more and more wary by the second. Something about this guy was beginning to unnerve her. They reached the mess hall to find Beast Boy juggling oranges, Cyborg reading the paper, and Starfire drinking…mustard.

"Bleecchh!" Robin said. "God Star, why are you drinking that?!"

"It is a most delightful beverage!" she exclaimed. "It reminds me of _shnark'nf,_ a very popular drink on my planet."

"Ooookaaay…" Raven muttered. "I've lost my appetite for the day."

"Who is your friend, the man of gold and blue?"

"Dr. Fate, another member of the League."

"Oh!" Starfire said, flying over. "It is pleasant to make your acquaintance, medical man of fate."

"Dr. Fate will do," Fate said. "I'm not that kind of doctor, anyway. And who are you?"

"I am Starfire, warrior of Tamaran! These are my friends, Cyborg and Beast Boy."

"Yo," Cyborg said from behind the classified section.

"What's up, doc?" Beast Boy asked, laughing at his own joke.

"It is nice to meet you all," Fate said kindly.

"Yeah, 'cept Rave—WHAA!" Beast Boy yelled, as his chair was tipped over by a glowing black zap from Raven's forehead.

"Oops," she said nonchalantly. Beast Boy growled and leapt at her, only to be held back by Cyborg, who was past irritated at this point. Starfire floated between Raven and Beast Boy.

"Please friends, no more mean-tal—"

"DO shut up," Raven said, her voice dripping with poison. Starfire squeaked and shrank in the corner.

"Hey!" Cyborg yelled. "You got no business being mean to her, Rae! She's just tryin' to be nice!"

"Well, maybe I don't need her 'niceness'. 'Nice' is just another word for pity."

"God, Rae!" Dr. Fate watched from a few feet away quietly. Everything was exactly as he had seen.

'I must warn the others before—'

"HEY!" Robin's boomed. Everyone was silent. "Beast Boy, calm down. Cyborg, let go of him—NOW. Raven, for the love of God, _dry up. _And Starfire, don't let them push you around. You guys are acting like a bunch of preschoolers!" There was a long pause. Cyborg released his grip on Beast Boy's shirt, and the green changeling sat down. Raven sat as well, folding and refolding her hands. Starfire straightened and sat next to her.

"Now that's more like it," Robin said, nodding. He turned to Dr. Fate. "Sorry, this isn't the best of times for us…are you okay?" Dr. Fate's eyes were wide. "Err…you okay there, Doc?"

"Ahh…yes! I just…err…I remembered something VERY important just now. Must be off. Nice meeting you all!" With that, he dashed down the hall.

"That's weird…"

"What?" Starfire asked.

"He's normally…very calm. Very collected. That lack of sleep must really be taking its toll on the poor guy." Robin laughed. "Didn't think he _did_ sleep."

* * *

Dr. Fate burst through the door to the conference room, where the Flash had now joined the deliberation on what should happen to their teenage guests. They all turned to him. 

"What's wrong, Fate?" Flash asked.

"I have important things to show you," he said.

"Can it wait?" Supergirl asked.

"Actually, it has much to do with what you are debating about."

"The kids?" Green Lantern questioned, his brow furrowing.

"Yes. These past nights, I have been plagued by nightmarish visions involving four youths."

"Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and Beast Boy?"

"Yes. I did not know their location, but I met them here by chance. Needless to say, I was quite surprised that they would be here. Of all places…"

"What exactly did these visions entail?"

"I...I can think of no better way than to show you," Fate said. He conjured an ankh, but as opposed to the bright portals that he traveled through, this one was larger, and was only a dark void. "I shall project my visions here, and tell you what I have discovered through them."

"Wait a second," Green Arrow interrupted, stepping forward. "Are these dreams you had going to come true? Is that why you're showing us?"

"I can only say that without intervention, the chances of my visions becoming reality are very high."

"All right then, let's see."

The void twisted and melted into itself, almost looking like it was some sort of liquid. Colors like none they had never seen swirled and took form. There was a large fleet of spacecrafts guarding a white and magenta-colored planet. Another fleet was advancing, and began attacking.

"Tamaranian and Gordanian battle-cruisers," J'onn breathed. "And…that's Tamaran. But they haven't been in an actual battle with the Gordanians in years!"

"Yes," Fate answered. "But the Gordanians have located the Grand Empress-to-be, Koriand'r."

"Starfire!"

"Yes. She will return to Tamaran, seeing there is no place for her on Earth. The Gordanians, knowing she is on her planet, will not hesitate any longer to attack it and kill her."

The scene shifted to the bridge of one of the ships, where Starfire, adorned in far thicker armor, was shouting orders to her crew. The ship was wracked with a barrage of blasts, and Starfire was thrown from her seat. A stocky Tamaranian with long, fiery hair and a bad eye was running towards her, but a control panel exploded in his face. Starfire could see through the window of her ship: A large laser cannon from another vessel was staring her in the face. The warrior stood up straight, her eyes filled with pride and anger.

The cannon fired, and the ankh turned a blinding white. Supergirl looked horrified.

"She…died…" she said hoarsely.

"There is no more of Starfire's story," Fate said. "But see now, as another tale forms…" The ankh's colors swirled again, and a large building came into view. It had a large 'H' on the side. The picture went to the inside of the building, where there was an old man with a long, thing face was sitting in a chair. He grinned, and looked to the person at the computer in front of him.

"Cyborg!" Lantern cried. The old man stood up, walked over to Cyborg, and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you ready, Cyborg?" he asked.

Cyborg grinned a malicious, evil grin. "More than ever."

"Ahh, I knew you would be my star pupil from the moment I set eyes on you? He is a fine young man, isn't he, Jinx?" A pink-haired girl stepped from the shadows, and locked her hand in Cyborg's.

"Yes he is, Master," Jinx said, smiling up at him, winking one of her catlike eyes. Cyborg returned the smile and held his hand above a button on the keyboard.

"Target: Justice League Watchtower," he said. The computer's monitor changed, showing the Watchtower.

"No," Lantern whispered.

"Missiles one, two, three, and four…FIRE!" Cyborg yelled, slamming the button. On the monitor, four missiles launched into the sky.

And Cyborg laughed.

The ankh turned blank again. Now everyone was completely shocked.

"He…he wouldn't," Lantern said. "Cyborg wouldn't do that."

"Not the Cyborg you know now," Fate said. "But one corrupted by hate and anger, one influenced by the wrong people…that Cyborg would be capable of anything. And the nightmare, unfortunately, is not over."

The ankh burst into fire, making all present step back. In this image, bodies lay all around. There were men, women, and even children strewn everywhere, some with their eyes still open with terror imprinted on their features. Some eye sockets eyes were empty, and limbs were missing. The fire from the building cast a orange and yellow glow on everything, tinting it in the colors.

But mostly, there was red.

Blood was spilled everywhere, mostly in pools around the corpses. The observers of this scene were now particularly mortified; some of them were finding it hard to even keep their lunch down. Suddenly, there came a silhouette of a man. He stepped from the fire, a shotgun in hand.

Wonder Woman looked enraged. "Was he the one who did this?"

Fate looked at her. "No. You shall see the culprit in a moment."

The man looked bruised and weary, and was in a daze. Suddenly, a sound snapped him out of his trance. He looked up, and a mixture of fear and rage passed over his face. He brought his shotgun to his shoulder and cocked it. The picture panned out, and another figure was visible: A short, gangly, female form.

It was none other than Raven, her hands dripping with blood.

"Oh great Hera…" Wonder Woman said, her voice trembling.

Raven's face became visible, and the entire company's jaws dropped. There was another set of eyes just above her normal ones—of course, not so normal anymore. All four eyes were glowing red. A wide smile was plastered on her face, lined with razor-sharp teeth. She looked as if she was the happiest person in the world. The man let out a cry of rage and fired. The shots were on target, but Raven barely flinched. The two shells fell from her chest, leaving no mark. She chuckled, and muttered in some tongue that no one understood. The man was flung into the fire, and he screamed and writhed. Then, he was silent. Raven just kept on smiling.

"Wh…what in Tartarus happened to her?" Wonder Woman asked.

"She has surrendered to her demonic nature," Fate said. "Destruction and death please her, and she is practically unstoppable. Now…there is one more vision we must witness."

The ankh darkened, and a full moon became visible over a deserted city street. There was a distant snarling and the sound of a man's voice. A large shadowy form and a much smaller one strode down the street. The moonlight shined down on the pair. The man was in a long trench coat, and a hat cast shadow on his face. The other form was a large, menacing, manlike beast, with a thick coat of green fur. It was snarling, but a glare from its companion silenced it.

"Don't worry," the man said. "I'm sure we'll feed nicely tonight."

"I know that voice!" Arrow cried suddenly. "It's that nutty scientist!" (A/N: I wanted to say professor, but I resisted; it would have made this a little too corny to bear.)

Flash's face became as white as a sheet. "Then that…_thing_…must be…"

"Beast Boy!"

"Without any guidance, he became an aimless traveler," Fate said. "And that man transformed him into something horrible: a monster. With an invincible beast at his side, he was able to rule that city." With Dr. Fate's last word, the ankh disappeared.

"Good Lord…" Superman whispered.

Fate stepped forward. "I was concerned a short time ago that these futures would be unpreventable, but I have seen something that has changed my mind."

"What?" Batman asked curiously.

"These young people possess amazing talent. You have seen this, yes?"

"Have we ever. They're a little rough around the edges, maybe, but they have such potential…"

"Ahh…potential. That's what this is all about. The four clash together, but are disastrous apart. They require balance. A leader. Someone who can set their quarrels at rest. And I believe I know the perfect person who can do this, as I have witnessed his ability myself."

"Who?"

"Robin. He is able to fend off Raven's insults, to douse Beast Boy's rage, to channel Cyborg's eagerness, and to comfort Starfire. He is what they need to survive. He is their balance."

"So…what do you intend to do?" Batman asked, already knowing that no matter Fate's answer, he would probably conflict with it. No one was doing anything with Robin.

"Their talents should be put to use. I have had other visions, visions of things they could do other than what I have shown you. But they need to work together. And their work needs to start in Jump City."

"And what do you expect to do? Just dump them on the sidewalk and say 'Oh yeah, make sure you pick up my coffee and save the world before nine'?!"

"Bruce—"

"NO! Robin's not going ANYWHERE!" There was a long pause, and the rest of the group was leaned forward in suspense. Fate stepped forward and put both hands on Batman's shoulders.

"You have to let him go, Bruce. He'll be a man soon. You can't keep him in your ivory castle forever."

"I would hardly call it an 'ivory castle'."

"Whatever you would wish to call it, you cannot hold him there." Fate's voice grew softer. "He is destined for great things, Bruce. He will do good, just as you have. But he has to make his own way, take his own path. You know it's true."

* * *

Three days later, all which needed saying had been said. The League had decided it would be best not to show Fate's visions, but only explain that there was great need for the teens in Jump City. They also thought that Robin should lead. Oddly enough, there was no objection from the others. 

"Can't think of anyone better," Cyborg said solemnly. He and Raven had duffel bags slung over their shoulders, and Starfire and Beast Boy had small backpacks carrying their few possessions. Robin things would be moved from Wayne Manor.

"Agreed," Starfire said. "You will make a most wonderful and effective leader! You have all of the qualities required on my planet to be made a captain of a squad!" This had been an attempt to lift her friend's spirit, but he remained silent. The League came forward. Wonder Woman shifted uncomfortably.

"Guess this is goodbye," she said.

"Yeah…" muttered Raven. "Where are we staying, anyway?" Dr. Fate stepped from the crowd.

"I've made temporary arrangements at a hotel. I will bring you there and depart once you have settled. As soon as I have completed my plans for a more permanent home, I shall contact you again."

"Ah. Thanks."

"Think nothing of it."

"Was nice meetin' you guys," Beast Boy said. "Never thought I'd actually meet the JL. Been real cool hangin' with ya."

"Same here, BB," Green Arrow said, shaking his hand.

Robin saw Batman behind Superman, seeming almost as if he was hiding. Superman discovered this and moved to the side, nudging his teammate. Batman came forward, looking awkward.

"Umm…I'm not so good at goodbyes…" he stammered.

Robin smiled for the first time in hours. "It's not really goodbye though, is it?" Batman looked a little surprised. "It's just…see you later." He hugged his mentor hard. Batman, though not used to such a gesture, smiled and hugged a little back. Robin stepped backward onto the transportation pad with his friends and Dr. Fate. Just as they were evanescing into the light, Batman smiled again.

"Yeah…see you later."

* * *

**Blowfish: God, that was LOOOOONG! Hoped you guys liked it though! Not much more to say, except that I've got a lot of reading to do. A lot of my fav stories have been updated, and I've been too busy to read them. And I still have to read N-shin's fics. I'll get around to it, though!**

**Next time: Well, the Teen Titans are in town! But where to start? The bank robbers? The purse-snatchers? Or those nasty train hijackers? Get ready for one action-packed chapter next time! Seeya!**


	5. The Teen Titans

**Blowfish: I am so haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaappyyyyyyyyy…**

**Chimpy: …Why?**

**Blowfish: 'Cause this has hit and topped 30 reviews! Yay!**

**Chimpy: …You realize 30 isn't that much, right?**

**Blowfish: "I realize" doesn't mean "I care".**

**Chimpy: Ah.**

**Blowfish: Anyway, I could just hug you guys!**

**Chimpy: Remember how that went over in "Heroes"?**

**Blowfish: Oh yeah. OK. Must stop talking to self.**

**Xyteron: Yeah, I'm screwing around with some of the littler things like that. Dunno why, really. I just feel like it. But soon I will mess with some major stuff and add some plot twists. I try not to have things happen too quickly, I hate to see it happen in other stories, and I would hate to have it in my story. As for screen time, I'm glad that's working. I have a bit of difference in my other story, but this is supposed to be about ALL of the Titans, together. Not just one of them. Though the focus may sway a little in the future, it will be equalized.**

**BlackShield: Heh, you're an RS fan? Ditto. If you thought last chap was long…whoo, you're gonna like this. I would've put Cy and Rae in their own chapters, but the stories I came up with for them just…sucked. Putting them together was the only way to salvage them, and BB ended up getting a whole chap to himself. I do agree with you on the fact that BB gets too much love. I mean, he's one of my favs, but I can't stand to see so much written about him (especially when half of it is such crap—they could stand to give him a little character depth). Yeah, the JL is vicious. (sniff) I did make WW sort of the sensitive one, because it seemed like she might be almost motherly towards the Titans. And besides, with Hawkgirl out of the picture for the moment, there were no other females to give that part to (Supergirl's too rowdy).**

**ninmenju-shin: You got it! X-23 was a reference to the Weapon X subject in X-Men Evo. Like I said to BS, this is gonna be even longer. (I'm so evil…) And…HAWKGIRL IS BACK!!! WHOOOOOOOO! YES! I was pissed to see GL kissing what's-her-name. Shame, Lantern. SHAME!!! I like writing long responses. (Faces are fun.) Yeah, the adoption thing was the only thing I could think of the JL trying to do. Or foster care or something (shrug). Batman and Robin have a very close relationship, so that's why the hug was in there. And as for the Javelin: I mean, if you were on the JL satellite, would you NOT wanna try out one of those babies? BB and Cy sure would! Behold…the power of Twinkies! Heh heh… As for the T-tower…well, you'll see. (I thought what you wrote was hilarious, though.) Yes, hotel breakfast sucks.**

**BunnyKat: Glad you like it. And I guess the "could've happened" factor was my goal. I just thought, while planning that chapter, "What would've happened if they'd never joined the Titans?" So, that's where that came from.**

**Someone: "Stuff of Heroes" is the ep with that quote. Awesome ep. And you're the second right on the X-23 reference! (And the kiss thing was just me under the influence of too much sugar. ;)**

**Nigthcrawler9774: Yep, you got the X-23 thing too! I also liked that ep, but something really disturbed me: X-23 looked WAY too much like Amara. I swear Amara, Jubilee, X-23, and Amanda look almost exactly the same.**

**TTJLFan: Yep, 'cause I do like the Cap! Personalities will definitely clash for a while…and even after a while, they'll still clash! ;**

**TtitansFan: I'm really glad you like it so much! You're a RobStar fan too, I see! Yayness!**

**K9: Yes actually, though that wasn't my intention. Huh. Hope you like this chap as much as the last.**

**"talking" 'thinking' _show dialog/action_**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or Full Metal Alchemist. Lousy real world!**

**Blowfish: Now…the fateful fifth chapter!**

**

* * *

**"Raven, come on! It's about to start!" Beast Boy said gleefully.

"And I care…why?" Raven asked.

"Come on, Rae!" Cyborg wheedled.

"Yes, Raven; please join in the viewing of the show about the alchemist of metal!" Starfire said.

"It's _Full Metal Alchemist,_ Star."

"Ugh…" Raven groaned as Cyborg dragged her in front of the TV in the boys' hotel room. "Why does Robin get to escape this torture?"

"Because he's getting the pizza."

"Damn. Must volunteer to get pizza next time."

The three of them (plus one dragged unwillingly) sat on the two beds; all set on watching the anime for its full thirty minutes—much to Raven's displeasure. Even more annoying was the constant commentary by the others.

"OH MY GOD!" Cyborg yelled. "HE USED HIS OWN DAUGHTER FOR THE TRANSMUTATION?!"

"And that poor dog!" Beast Boy cried.

"Please, I am still confused; does a chimera not also consist of a goat and a snake?" Star questioned. Raven snorted.

"Stupid show doesn't even have its facts straight," she muttered. Beast Boy raised an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, Raven, you're the total authority on chimeras," the changeling said sarcastically. "I mean, you've seen _so_ many."

"…You have no idea the things I've seen."

"You have _not _seen a—"

"Shh!" Cyborg hissed. "That general guy is taking the Nina-dog-chimera thing away!"

"No! He can't!"

_"You wanna cover it up!" Ed cried. The general punched him in the stomach, making Ed double over in pain._

_"Let's go, boys," he said. He and the soldiers climbed into the truck, and began driving away._

_"No!" Ed yelled. "I won't let them turn her into a test subject…!" He slammed his palms on the ground and an electric-like power sprang from them, going across the ground, tipping the truck over._

"Yes!" Beast Boy yelled, triumphantly pumping his fist in the air. "Go Ed!"

"I'm going to bed," Raven grumbled.

"Bed?! But it's only 12:22! We've got a couple hours before the hotel people shut us down! And we haven't even eaten yet!"

"What is taking Robin so long?" Star pondered. Just then, Robin walked in, pizza in hand.

"Lost my wallet at the Laundromat. Had to backtrack and go through a _lot _of traffic. Sorry I'm late."

"Damn straight!" Cyborg yelled. "I'm _STARVING_!"

"Did I miss FMA?"

"Basically. I'll fill you in."

* * *

The next day, the five teens woke up late. It was the first time they had truly been exposed to their morning habits—particularly their hair styling. Robin spent a while in front of the mirror, gelling his hair up just right. Beast Boy was quicker—and dirtier—in the bathroom, quickly running a gelled hand through his hair to get it to stick up. Starfire took the longest, with the amount of hair she had to wash and brush. Raven was the second fastest, giving her hair a brief comb and moving on. Cyborg, with no hair to tame, was the fastest with only basic hygiene to attend to. 

"So, Doc left us a car?" Cyborg asked. Robin grinned and twirled the keys around his finger.

"Yeah. Sucker."

"So, what're we gonna do today?" There was a long pause. Now that they were _in _Jump City, what exactly were they supposed to do?

"Err…we need a few things."

"Like what? Just say the word and we shall be off, O Fearless Leader." Robin cringed. Had he been part of the discussion that made him leader, he would've voted for anyone but himself.

"Um…let's see. We need some food—"

"'Cause the crap they serve here is completely inedible," Beast Boy interjected.

"Right. We should split grocery duty. Cyborg and Beast Boy, pick up some food. You guys take the car. Me, Raven, and Star—" Raven coughed. Robin gritted his teeth. "What?"

"Can't I just go alone?"

"_Fine_. Raven, pick up some toothpaste, because I tried the stuff they give you here—my toothbrush was stuck to my teeth for an hour."

"What shall we purchase, Robin?" asked Starfire.

"We are going to get some coffee at that shop in the mall, because—"

"Everything here sucks," Raven said. "And we need caffeine."

"Right. So, how about Cy, Rae, and BB drop off the stuff at the room and meet us at the mall?" Everybody nodded in approval. "All right. Let's go."

* * *

"So, where's this store again?" Beast Boy asked. 

"S'round here somewhere," Cyborg muttered.

"Man, you lived here for months! How could you not know where to get food?!"

"When you're freakish enough to frighten small children, you don't get out much," the android said gruffly. Beast Boy looked up at his friend with a concerned expression.

"Sorry," he said quietly. "If it makes you feel any better, not everyone thinks it's cool to be a green elf."

"Mmm."

"Weather makes a convenient excuse to hide it though, eh?" Beast Boy said, pulling down his hat over his pointed ears. Cyborg fingered the lapels of his trench coat.

"We look like hit-men, with our faces all hidden," he grumbled.

"_I_ look like a hit-man. _You _look like a child-abductor."

"No I don't!" Beast Boy giggled, and soon Cyborg found himself laughing along with his friend. Their short bout of humor was rudely interrupted by an explosion from the nearby bank.

The man in front of Cyborg stopped short, and Cyborg almost crashed into him trying to brake. The two teens stumbled out of the car. Five armed men burst through the bank doors, bags of money in hand.

"Nobody move!" one of them screamed. Everybody froze except for Cyborg and Beast Boy, who were removing their jackets. There were gasps from the crowd at the sight of the metal man and the green boy.

"S'funny," Cyborg said. "That's what I was gonna say to you."

"Holy crap!" the one at the back screamed. "It's some kinda android and, like…Martian Manhunter Jr. or somethin'!"

Beast Boy's eye twitched.

"_What_ did you say?" Beast Boy said icily. Cyborg's face fell in his hands.

"Aww, _now_ y'all have gone and done it," he groaned.

"Were _you_ talkin' to _me_, _PUNK_?!"

"Oh lordy…"

"Did you just call me what I _THINK_ you called me?!"

"You guys are _screwed_."

"THEY _CALL_ ME _MARTIAN MANHUNTER JR._!!!" And with a great roar, the small changeling morphed into a huge boar and mowed down the robber. (A/N: For all you Disney fans, yes, that _was_ a _Lion King_ reference.)

Cyborg took advantage of the shock of the other men and took a wide sweep with his sonic cannon, knocking them all unconscious. He looked up to see that the bank was indeed on fire.

"C'mon BB! There are still people in there!" Beast Boy got up and they both ran into the bank. Inferno swirled around them.

"Hey!" Beast Boy yelled. "C'mon everybody, you gotta get out of here!" Several tellers ran out along with some customers. One lady, however, was not leaving. Cyborg ran over to her.

"Yo lady, you've gotta come with me," he said. "You're gonna fry if you stay here!"

"My baby!" she screamed hysterically. "My little girl is back there!" She pointed to a part of the bank that was already being swallowed by flames.

"I'll get her for you, but you've gotta leave." At the sight of the woman's worried expression, he winked his human eye. "Don't worry; I'll get your little girl back."

Cyborg ran through the fire, covering his mouth and hoping that his metal was as heat-resistant as he had been told. He saw a huddled shadow in the corner, and hastily made his way towards it, and was able to see that it was the little girl. She curled up into a ball and screamed at the sight of him.

"Come on!" he yelled. "Come with me now!" But instead of seeing the kind robot, she saw a terrifying, flaming metal monster with a glowing eye. She only screamed more.

"Get away! You're one of those evil robots from space!" Cyborg advanced and put his face close to hers so she could see his human half. Her expression shifted from terror to curiosity.

"See? I'm a little different, but I'm really just a normal guy! Now come on, I need to get you back to your mom." The girl nodded and he scooped her up.

Outside, a fire truck had arrived. A fireman ran up to Beast Boy.

"Is anyone still in the building?" he asked.

"My friend and a little girl, but—wait a sec!" Cyborg dashed out of the building, little girl in hand. "All right, Cy!" Beast Boy yelled. Cyborg waved and walked the girl over to her mother.

"Mommy!" the girl squealed. "Robot-Man saved me!"

"Cyborg, kid," Cyborg laughed. "Not Robot-Man, Cyborg."

"Thank you so much," the woman said, hugging her little girl. "Is there anything I could do for you boys?" Cyborg and Beast Boy looked at each other.

"Well, actually…could you direct us to the nearest grocery store?"

* * *

Raven put the tubes of toothpaste on the counter impatiently. She had waited in line for almost an hour—in the _express_ line—and was getting rather irate. The handsome teenage clerk had been holding up the line by chatting with a pretty blond girl. Even now that Raven had made it to the counter; he was still preoccupied by the belle standing to the side. She finally lost it. 

"Okay, the lovebirds have talked enough," she said, shoving the girl aside with her powers. Everybody within twenty feet had suddenly gained the ability to unhinge their jaws, watching Raven lean over the counter, getting up in the clerk's face.

"I have had to spend the last week with two of the most annoying people I have ever met in my entire existence, and I may be spending a great portion of my life having to put up with them. I am _VERY _angry, and I swear on the name of Azar, if you don't let me pay for this damn toothpaste, I will send you to another dimension, one where the demons will rip you apart until you cannot be put back together by any means, and passing rats will nibble on your pretty-boy face. And then, the vultures will tear at your eyes and snap at your bones and say, 'Good _God_, this is the most _vile, disgusting, abhorrent THING _I have ever tasted.' And the hot sun will scorch whatever may be left of you to a dry, flaky dust and the frigid winds will blow it away into oblivion. And you will watch it all, because your soul—assuming that you _have _one—will be trapped in the swirling torrent of misery created by your sins and you will reside in your own personal Hell in which spirits will feast on your soul; and then, and _then_ you will have truly disappeared from existence on any plane, and your poor little girlfriend will have never learned what your favorite trashy reality show is. But don't worry, as she'll no doubt have moved on to some other unbearably irritating and dippy register boy. And through it all, I will be back in my hotel room, _NOT_ brushing my teeth, because you didn't let me buy this goddamn toothpaste."

The clerk was close to tears behind his counter, his girlfriend backed away from Raven with an expression of horror and confusion. All of the customers' faces mirrored hers.

"Now," Raven said, taking an indifferent tone. "How much does that come to?" She pushed a few keys on the register, looked at the total and fished in her wallet. "Hmm…Eighteen dollars and fifty-nine cents…I'll assume you have change for a twenty." She put her money down on the counter. The clerk just sat there, completely dumfounded, and Raven opened the register, taking her change. "Thank you."

Raven casually made her way out of the small store. 'I suppose that's enough threatening for one day,' she thought. 'Poor guy…he really was kind of good-looking. Ah well…he _did_ piss me off.'

Suddenly, Raven was pushed into the wall from behind. She rubbed her head and righted herself. Her attacker pushed another man, and seemed intent on plowing through anyone else who stood in his way.

"Help!" said old man behind Raven. "That man's made off with my wallet and my wife's purse!"

"No, he hasn't," Raven growled. She chanted her mantra under her breath, and the fleeing criminal was engulfed in a black energy and pulled back towards them at an alarming speed. The man turned his head and only felt Raven's fist collide with his face before everything went black.

Raven leaned over and took the purse and the wallet from the thief's hands and gave them to the old man, who was beaming.

"How'd you do that?" he asked.

"Eh. Just did."

"Pretty darn amazing powers you got there, missy."

"Thanks." Raven glanced at her watch. "I gotta go." She levitated herself up and was flying away when she heard the old man yelling:

"Take care now, young lady! Do good with those powers!"

Raven paused, pondering his meaning. 'Do good…'

* * *

"Robin, come!" 

"But Star, the others are expecting us to be inside the mall!"

"Yes, but if we are outside they will locate us with greater ease. And I wish to see the birds!"

Robin chuckled. Of all the Earthly animals she had seen so far, birds were Starfire's favorite. They seemed to like her too, as they would perch on her without objection. When they were outside, she turned to the sky. In a few minutes, a crow landed on her shoulder. She giggled and stroked it. Robin just smiled.

Near them, there were two women, one of which was marveling at Starfire's ability to not frighten the crow, and the other having a cheerful conversation on her cell phone.

"How does she do that?" one asked Robin. He shrugged.

"Got me. She just has a way with 'em."

"That's amazing."

"Mmm."

Robin's eyes darted over to the other woman. Her previously light demeanor had vanished, and was quickly being replaced by panic. The woman watching Starfire followed his gaze and went over to her friend.

"Vanessa? What's up?"

"It's Charlie!" Vanessa cried. "He's on the train and…" She went back to her cell phone. "Charlie? Are you there? Charlie!" Now even Starfire was attentive.

"What is wrong?"

"He…he said there were some people hijacking the train." Robin and the other woman gasped, but Starfire paused.

"Hijacking…?"

Vanessa just looked at her as if she…well, as if she was an alien. Robin fielded Starfire's fly with his eyes shut.

"Stole, accosted, took over, overpowered, etc."

"Oh!"

"Don't worry ma'am," he said to Vanessa. "We'll take care of it. Which train was Charlie on?"

"_You'll_ take care of it?! You're a couple of kids!"

Robin straightened his sunglasses. "Correction: _She_ is a super-powered alien, and _I_ am the world's second-greatest detective."

"Oh really?"

Robin opened his jacked, revealing his utility belt with the famed 'R' symbol on it, drawing gasps from the women. Starfire floated in the air. "Yes, really."

"He's on the 11:00 F train going to south Jump."

"Got it." Starfire took Robin's hand and lifted him into the air with her. "Don't worry; you'll see Charlie again in no time!"

"Thank you!"

"Wow…we just met the Boy Wonder!" The woman whipped out her cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Vanessa asked.

"I'm calling my sister at the news station. She'll love this!"

* * *

Cyborg slammed down the trunk of the car and let out a sigh of relief. 

"Hmm…one bank robbery stopped…one little girl saved…and one shopping trip complete…not bad, eh BB?"

"Nope," his green companion said. "Not bad at all." They got in the car, when a ringing sound, somewhat like a telephone, started. "Dude, what's that?"

"My arm."

"Your _what?_"

"My arm phone. Kind of like a built-in cell phone. Rae's got a com-link to it."

"Cool."

"Yeah." He pushed a button on his arm, and a screen popped up on it. Beast Boy was amazed. "Cyborg here."

"Cy, it's Robin."

"What's up, man?'

"We've got a hijacked train. Need your help. I know where it is, so I'll tell you where to go."

"Hijacked train? This is risky business, Rob."

"Risky or not, we're here to help, right?"

"True. Just tell us the way."

* * *

Raven flew over the city, not really focusing on her task to return to the hotel. That particular moment had become one of the rare instances that Raven would let her mind wander, thinking not of the present or future, but getting lost in the past. She put her hands behind her head and flew in a laying-down position, now going at a more leisurely pace. Just when she had begun to feel slightly content with thoughts of brighter times, a sharp voice in her ear jerked her back to reality. 

"Rae! You there?"

"Yes…you know I was actually enjoying myself for a moment, Cyborg."

"Sorry, but we've got problems."

"Spill."

"We've got a hijacked train."

"Whoopee. Must be our lucky day."

"Tell me about it. Listen, we're right below you." Raven looked down to see a familiar blue car on the road. "Just follow us."

"On my way."

* * *

Yvonne would do anything for her boyfriend, Harry. She would lie for him, steal for him, kill for him—heck, maybe even die for him. She was utterly devoted to him, as he was to her. They were in love, and they would do anything the other asked. 

So naturally, when Harry let Yvonne in on his plan to hijack a train, she volunteered to help.

Yvonne was currently keeping the passengers in the third car quiet. They were all down on the floor or huddled in their seats, throwing her dirty looks and frightened stares. She sighed irritably.

"Okay, you guys," she said to the passengers. "I don't like you, and you _obviously _don't like me. But as long as my man gets the money from the city, you all are in good shape, hear? I'm not usually the violent type, and I ain't gonna try to intimidate you. Much." Pete, one of Harry's friends and fellow hijackers, came through the door.

"Any problems here, Von?"

"Nah."

"Good. Harry's called the mayor, and they've got the message."

"This is going quite smoothly."

"Mmm. Soon, we'll be livin' large, all of us."

"Yep."

Pete's walkie-talkie beeped, and he picked it up. "'Sup?"

"Dude, it's Greg, in the back. You ain't gonna believe this."

"What?"

"There's a girl flyin'—_FLYIN' I tell ya_—towards the train carryin' some squirt!"

"Did you smoke a joint this morning, Greg? 'Cause I think you're seein' things."

"No, really! Now her hand's glowing, and I think she's—" Greg's voice was cut off, and then there was nothing but static.

"Greg…?" Pete pressed another button on his walkie-talkie. "Becca?"

"Call me Rebecca, ya louse."

"Whatever. Could you check on Greg? Somethin' ain't right."

"Right…HOLY SHIT!"

"What?!"

"There people coming on the train. Two girls, a boy, some kinda green elf, and a robot!"

"All right, what the fuck have you and Greg been smoking?!"

"Nothin', man! I swear I'm not lying!"

"Well, whoever these guys are, blow 'em away, yeah? We can't afford any complications, this is flimsy enough already."

"Got it, Pete."

* * *

Robin held up his hands, trying to stifle the panic of the hostages. After seeing Starfire shoot a starbolt at their captor, they were beyond scared. 

"Please, we're trying to help! Now, we're going to try to take this train, and save you—"

"Don't you get it?!" a man yelled. "They were gonna let us go once the city gave them the money. Now that you've pissed them off, they're probably going to kill us!"

"Uhh...I…"

"You idiot! We were going to be fine!" screamed a woman. "Now you've killed us all!"

Robin was paralyzed. They were right. He had charged in without thinking, too distracted by the prospect of being a hero, of stepping out of Batman's shadow. And now he had no choice but to stick with the mistake he had made. He regained his composure quickly.

"Everybody needs to stay calm, okay? I know we just seem like stupid kids—"

"Damn straight!" the man yelled.

"—But we know what we're doing."

"We do?" Cyborg whispered out of the corner of his mouth.

"I must concur," Starfire said quietly.

"It's not so bad," Beast Boy said brightly. "We just need a plan."

"This may never happen again…but I think Beast Boy's right," Raven said. There was a collective gasp. "Yeah, I know. But really, we just need a game plan here. Robin?"

"All right. Cyborg, Beast Boy, go straight through to the front. Take out anyone stopping you, and don't let anyone get hurt. Starfire, go along the outside, try to surprise some of them. Raven and I will go along the roof. Remember, they've got the advantage here. They've got hostages, and they're on the defensive. Now…go!" Cyborg and Beast Boy moved through the door to the next car, Starfire zipped out the window, and Raven opened up the door to the roof, allowing her and Robin to go topside.

Raven and Robin made their way across the train roof. Raven, who actually was quite nervous, decided to make conversation with her companion—she could feel the tenseness emanating from him.

"So…given any thought to this superhero thing?"

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Like…don't we need a name, or something? Like the Justice League…but our own, you know?"

"Uhh…I dunno. What did you have in mind?"

"Nothing, really. That's why I asked. I mean, Superman came up with the whole 'league' thing, and he's the leader, so…"

"I am getting _really _fed up with all this 'fearless leader' bullshit."

"Sorry. It's not like there's someone better."

"Cyborg would make a good leader."

"Nah, he's a headstrong asshole."

"I thought you were his best friend!"

"Friends can point out each other's faults better than most."

"I guess you and Beast Boy must be _really _good friends then."

"Nope. He's just annoying."

"Ah."

"But really…if I'm gonna be shoved into the spotlight with a bunch of people I met last week, we oughta call ourselves…_something_, right?"

"I guess." He paused, now seeming more enticed by the idea. "It should be something that commands respect…but is cool, too."

"Mmm."

"Like…something that people would know right away, 'hey, these guys can't be messed with.'"

"Right."

"Something intelligent, though. Makes us sound mature, like we're in control of the situation."

"I thought you said intelligent, not blatantly untrue."

"Oh come on, this isn't going so—"

BAPATABAPATABAPATABAPATA!

Robin and Raven hit the deck—err, roof—and covered their heads, very surprised by the gunfire. They could see a masked woman with an automatic weapon—Robin guessed an Uzi—sticking her torso out of an opening in the roof.

"We've got company," Raven observed.

"Yeah," Robin agreed. "Let's give her some ol' hero hospitality." They both leapt up, Robin twirling his bo staff to deflect bullets, and Raven put a shield in front of herself. They slowly but surely walked towards the woman. The rain of bullets abated, and Raven, assuming their adversary had stopped to reload, dropped her shield.

Big mistake.

The woman, seeing her tactic had been successful, fired another handful of rounds. Robin watched, horrified, as Raven attempted to dodge the attack. A sharp cry pierced the air and Raven grabbed her shoulder. She stumbled backwards, suddenly realizing that her heels were over the edge of the roof. She found herself falling backwards, and disappeared over the side of the train.

_"RAVEN!"_

_

* * *

_"Did you hear something?" Beast Boy asked, changing back into human form.

"Nah," said Cyborg, drop-kicking another hijacker.

"Something's not right. These ears don't miss a thing," he said, pointing to them.

"Eh. Probably nothing important."

"You're right. Let's go." They pushed the next door open to find Starfire standing over three unconscious hijackers.

"Friends! I believe we are right behind the engine, where the leaders of this band of villains reside!"

"…Band of villains?"

"Come on, BB," Cyborg sighed.

* * *

"Harry!" 

"What?" Harry asked Pete tensely.

"I think they're right behind us, Harry. I can't get anybody on the line, not even Yvonne."

"Von-Von! Damn those bastards!"

"Yeah, but it gets worse."

"Worse?!"

"Well, apparently, we're heading towards a dead end."

"Dead end?"

"This track heads towards an unfinished bridge. Unless we take the exit, we're screwed _and_ dead."

"Where's the exit?" A sign whizzed past them in the window.

"Uhh…I think that was it."

"Fuck."

"Aww, we ruin your party?"

Harry and Pete spun on their heels and found themselves faced with three super-powered teenagers. Pete, the less calm of the two, burst out in a fearful rage.

"You _retarded little BRATS!_ Don't you realize what you've done?!"

"Err…no?"

"We're heading to a dead end! We're gonna fly into the river and _we'regonnadrownandWE'REGONNADIE!!!_"

"…You've _GOT_ to be kidding me." Beast Boy said.

"Oh dear…" Starfire murmured.

"_'OH DEAR'?!_ I don't think you've grasped this, girlie!" Pete screamed. "We. Are. Gonna. DIE!!!"

"Chill, Pete. We can still use the brakes," Harry said. He pulled on the brake lever and it promptly snapped off. There was a long silence, penetrated by Beast Boy's insane giggling.

"What the hell is so funny?!" Cyborg yelled exasperatedly.

"Dude…ahahaha…this…heeheee…this SO classic."

"Though I think it's nice that you can appreciate the comic aspect of this, _HAVE YOU NOT NOTICED THAT OUR LIVES AND THE LIVES OF 200 PEOPLE ARE HANGING IN THE BALANCE?!_"

Beast Boy stopped giggling. "So…now what?" Robin suddenly appeared in the door.

"Now…we make a _real _plan."

* * *

Raven was flying as best she could, trying to keep the train in view. This, of course, was not easy to concentrate on while her arm was gushing blood. She was quite amazed that no one had made an effort to contact her. 'Of course, with a speeding train with loads of innocent people being held at gunpoint, I guess even I wouldn't be that concerned with a bleeding teammate that almost got a contusion falling off the speeding train…wow, now that I said that, it makes Robin seem a lot more asinine.' 

"Raven!" 'Finally!' she thought. She pushed her com-link a bit further in her ear so she could hear her friend better.

"Cy?"

"Yeah. Rob said you were hit, are you okay?"

"Yeah; I mean, besides the spewing bullet wound in my shoulder."

"Ah. He says he's sorry about that."

"Not his fault. What's the deal? We win?"

"Uhh…sort of. We stopped the hijackers."

"Plus."

"And you got shot."

"Minus."

"…And the train is unstoppably careening towards an unfinished bridge over a very, very deep river."

"_Big_ minus."

"Yeah. Rob's got a plan, though."

"Judging by how far his plans have gotten us, I'd count that as a very tiny plus."

"I heard that," Robin grumbled.

"Deal with it. So, as I will probably soon pass out from blood loss, what's the plan?"

"We're gonna stop the train."

"Mmm-hmm…and we do that how…?"

"Starfire and Cyborg are the strongest, so they're gonna get out front and push it back. BB and I will try to find some way decouple the cars so we'll only have to stop the engine. You have to try to stop the wheels."

"_STOP_ the wheels?"

"Uhh…I mean, with your powers."

"Uh-huh. HOW? I can't get much closer to the train at this rate."

"I don't know. Just…think of something, okay?"

"I'm never going to have a dull day under your leadership, am I?"

"Heh. Probably not."

* * *

Cyborg sidled his way out of the train on the small edge protruding from the front of it. He took a deep breath, dug his fingers into the front of the train, and put a foot down in front of it, trying to make friction to stop it. The metal bars were torn from the ground by his massive foot. He winced. 

Starfire flew out beside Cyborg and put both hands on the front of it and began flying in the opposite direction. The train appeared to be slowing and the two smiled at their handiwork. Cyborg looked up, and his expression was distorted with terror. Starfire turned her head, and in the distance she could see the end of the unfinished bridge.

Robin opened the engine's side door and the wind rushed in, blowing his hair in his face. He fired his grappling hook at the rail beside the train and pulled, Beast Boy pulling his cape in the form of a tiger. The rail was uprooted from the ground and flew towards them. Robin ducked back into the engine, exchanging looks of desperation with the changeling.

Raven could see the train slowing down, knowing the chances of it stopping in time were very slim. And on top of that, she couldn't fly fast enough to get close to it. 'That thing's going to sink like a rock; it's almost completely metal…hey. Full metal…' For some reason, the show she had hardly paid attention to the night before was forcing its way to the front of her mind. That one scene kept replaying over and over again…

_He slammed his palms on the ground and an electric-like power sprang from them, going across the ground, tipping the truck over._

'Hey,' she thought, a grin spreading across her face. 'If Edward Elric can do it, why can't I?'

"Azarath…" Raven clenched her fists. "Metrion…" Her hands began to glow with black energy. "ZINTHOS!" She slammed her palms down on the ground, her power going along the tracks and gripping the train wheels.

"Come on…" she whispered. "Come on…_STOP!!!_"

Cyborg dug his heel into the ground, and Starfire pushed as hard as she could. Suddenly, there was a long screeching sound, followed by a great lurch backwards, causing the metal man to lose his grip and fall to the ground. The alien also slipped, flipping over in midair.

The train had stopped—twenty feet from the end of the track.

Cyborg let out a whoop of joy, and Starfire squealed in delight. Robin leapt out of the train and ran in Raven's direction, while Beast Boy collapsed in relief. Raven got up just in time to be given a slap on the back by her teammate.

"Who says my plans suck?" Robin laughed.

"OW! Damn, that hurt!"

"Sorry. You gonna be okay?" Raven snorted.

"Well, I guess I _should _heal myself before gangrene sets in." She put her hand on her shoulder and a blue glow came from it. After a few moments, she took away her hand, revealing an uninjured arm and a bullet.

"Now _that _is cool."

"Eh. Comes in handy. Smaller stuff goes on its own."

"Can you do that on other people?"

"Yeah."

"I repeal my earlier statement: _That_ is cool."

"Mmm."

"You know, I was giving some thought to what you said earlier, about the team name."

"And?"

"Well, I kind of had this one idea…" Raven looked up and her eyes widened.

"Crap. Media." Robin looked up to see a news helicopter descending towards them.

"Daaaaamn. I guess we're getting a little early publicity, huh?"

"Publicity?!" yelled Beast Boy, running up with Cyborg and Starfire. "Where are the cameras, I wanna do my best hero pose!" He puffed out his chest and flexed his tiny biceps, trying to look as Schwarzenegger-y as he could. Raven punched him in the stomach and Cyborg laughed. A reporter came up, already starting her story.

"I'm here; live, at the hijacked train, which was, minutes ago, as you saw on our chopper cam, in grave peril."

Cyborg barely stifled his laughter. "Who says 'peril'?"

"But now, thanks to these five young heroes—" Beast Boy recovered and puffed out his chest again. "—the train and all of its passengers are safe. I hope to get an interview with these brave and gifted teens." She walked over to them. "Now, who exactly are you?"

There was a long silence and Raven glanced at Robin. 'Nah,' he thought. 'That sounds too big for us…maybe…'

"Umm…excuse me. Who are you?"

Cyborg looked panicked. "We're…uhh…we're the—"

"Teen Titans," Robin said. "We're the Teen Titans."

The woman looked a bit befuddled. "The…Teen Titans?"

"Yeah!" Beast Boy said. "We're just your resident superheroes. I'm Beast Boy, animal shape-shifter, that's Starfire, alien warrior, this is Raven, telekinetic extraordinaire, Cyborg, the…uh…cyborg, and Robin, the Boy Wonder, our fearless leader." Robin groaned but the reporter only seemed more intrigued.

"Oh. Superheroes, you say?"

"Yes," said Starfire. "We are here in hope of gaining the privilege of being able to stand guard over this city."

"Go Star," Cyborg whispered. The alien giggled.

"Uhh…yeah," Robin said. "We're here to help."

"Well, I'm sure the city will be interested in the prospect of a team of superheroes," the reporter said. "Back to you, Dave. And…cut!" The cameraman shut off the camera. She turned back to the newly-named Teen Titans.

"Well, kiddos, good luck. With asshole cops like ours, you're gonna have a hard time making your way around here," she said. "Have fun playing hero." She and the cameraman walked back to the helicopter.

"Well…that was encouraging," Cyborg muttered.

"Bitch," Raven grunted.

"Well, guys…better head back to the hotel," Robin said.

"Man, big-time superheroes in a _hotel?!_" Beast Boy cried. "If that's not an oxymoron, I don't know what is."

"We aren't exactly big-time, BB."

"Well, we've been on TV, haven't we?"

"Yeah, I guess. But that doesn't mean that we're any better off than before. I've got a feeling that lady was giving us a good warning."

"Yay us," Cyborg said sarcastically.

"Do not fret, friends!" Starfire said. "Just by having a name, we have taken a step towards becoming better protectors!"

"Eh…Teen Titans sounds a little dorky," Raven said.

"Yeah, but now that it's out there, we've gotta stick with it," Robin sighed. His face brightened. "Who knows, maybe we'll get to like it. I do."

"The Teen Titans…"

* * *

Dr. Fate watched the TV at the Watchtower intently. Batman stood behind him, wondering distantly what the Doctor was cooking up now. He was also swelling with pride at Robin's achievement. Fate walked over to a table and laid out some scrolls. 

"The Teen Titans. Well, this certainly is convenient."

"Convenient?" Batman questioned, leaning over Fate's shoulder. The scrolls were actually blueprints, containing designs for a T-shaped building. Batman turned to Fate disbelievingly. "You're joking."

"I never joke."

"You came up with that _before _their name was announced?"

"Yes."

"…Why the hell did you put it in the shape of a 'T'?!"

"I like the letter 'T'."

"Dear God…"

"I suppose we could call it Titan's Tower. I think that would be appropriate, don't you?"

"Ugh…" Batman put his head in his hands.

"What?"

* * *

**Blowfish: That crazy, crazy Dr. Fate. Hope you liked this chap—I'm not sure why I stuck in that whole Full Metal Alchemist thing. Go figure. It's a really kick-ass show though, you should watch it.**

**Next time: Titan's Tower is under construction! The Titans are still hotel-bound and they're finding out that being superheroes isn't all it's cracked up to be. Seeya!**


	6. 1, 2, 3, 4, GO!

**Blowfish: Gack, it's been a while. Ahh, what can ya do?**

**Readers: YOU CAN UPDATE SOONER, THAT'S WHAT!**

**Blowfish: Oh yeah…; I saw Titans East, and if I could only say one thing about the eps, it's this:**

**MAS Y MENOS ARE THE CUTEST THINGS EVER!!!**

**I couldn't understand a WORD they were saying, but I just wanted to hug them! I bet all of the people I know who take Spanish who watch TT are all saying "Ha! We can understand most of that, unlike Blowfish, who takes French! Ha!" Curse you, Spanish! CUUUURSE YOOOOUUU!!! I must say, however, part 2 disappointed me greatly, especially since I liked part 1 so much. Brother Blood makes me want to rip my hair out. The good news is they say Slade is coming back in season 4! All this and Trigon! IS THIS THE GREATEST OR WHAT?! …Anyway, I got reviews!**

**wouldntyouliketoknow: Hmm…let's ask Raven!**

**Raven: The chances of me watching TV (especially anime of any sort) EVER again are… 3,688,544,000 to 1.**

**wouldntyouliketoknow: Yep, you were right!**

**blackmoon36: FMA kicks ass, yes…I've missed the last three eps. I'm angry. Honestly? I'm not really sure what possessed me to make Raven do that. I just thought, "Hey, that thing Ed does is kick-ass! I'm gonna make someone do it!" And it just sort of escalated from there. I think I write best when I'm rambling—take the Raven grocery scene, for example. I have NO idea how I got there, but it was fun. There's gonna be romance, but not until a little later. And who says all romance has to be fluffy? I'm gonna do some damn angsty romance, thank you very much! TRIANGLES, YOU HEAR ME?! TRIANGLES!!! I dunno about Starfire. My best guess is that she takes everything in English and literally translates it. And it's kind of endearing the way she doesn't use contractions. I made Raven a little tougher, yeah. You know why? Because she is (physically) the perceived pansy of the group. I just thought she could be a little more bad-ass.**

**xino: Taking out one's personal problems on register boys is fun…**

**TtitansFan: For some reason, I had been talking about Lion King earlier that day, and I just thought of that spur of the moment. And there are so many similarities between Timone and Puma and BB and Cy. And the Dr. Fate thing was kinda weird, now that I think of it. I just thought that it would be odd that he wouldn't have something drawn up by then, you know?**

**sugarpony: FMA fans unite! I'm glad you like this so much. You should review others' stories more often—it makes us authors feel all warm and fuzzy inside.**

**TTJLFan: Yep, Raven's gettin' the toothpaste. Because Robin loves to torture her.**

**Robin: MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!**

**Raven: Yeah…**

**Bob-chan: Never read a fic like this before? There are loads of origin fics floating around. Or maybe that's not what you mean. Ah well. I wasn't aware I HAD a writing style, but I'm glad you like it! SSBM is the best party game, YEAH! And as for the other Titans, they may be mentioned at some point, but they won't really play a part until later.**

**ninmenju-shin: Yep, that Dr. Fate is a weirdo. Yeah, that FMA ep was shocking. I pretty much had the same reaction, except quieter—my parents would've wigged out if I'd woken them up with so much swearing. As for the analogy for this chap's long-ness, I bet my bro could relate. We had to stand in the back of the church at our Christmas Eve service. TOTAL TORTURE. And my bro is actually a partial-atheist. OOH! You get a cookie because you spotted one of my countless continuity errors! I'm only five chapters in, and I've already screwed a lot of things up. Just for the sake of salvaging continuity, no, none of the Titans know Raven is a demon. (Not that that makes ANY sense, regarding earlier chaps…damn you, continuity! DAMN YOOOUUU!) How many chimeras has Raven seen? Hmm… Yeah, the whole train thing was kind of inspired by SP2. You got the movie?! I got the game! It kicks major ass! I got four CDs! Avril Lavigne, Keane, Modest Mouse, and Yellowcard! And my brother made me a super-awesome-kick-ass CD with a bunch of great bands (Nightwish, Pink Floyd, Blind Guardian, and Apocalyptica, to name a few!) WOO! I also got a T-shirt that says, "I used to be a schizophrenic, but we're okay now." Get it? More than half the people at my school don't know what a schizophrenic is… I also got fuzzy pajama pants. Fuzzy pajama pants make the world a better place with their fuzzy comfort!**

**Grumbumble: Yay! I've surpassed myself! ...I'm not quite sure what you mean, but thanks! I am sort of proud of myself for this little piece, I guess. Poor BB with his lack of depth…**

**BB: WHAT?!**

**Grumbumble: Raven's rant…I actually just went back and re-read it, and I must say, it came out a little scarier than I intended. But it worked out anyway, I suppose. Mwahahahaha. I like to have Raven and Robin talk. We see so little real interaction between them in the show, and I've always thought it was odd. They have a lot in common, it seems like they'd be good for each other—seeing as the other Titans are so hyperactive. Hmm. Now TWO people have commented on my style. I _must_ have one. Huh. NOOO! More ego-boosting for Blowfish! (grabs onto Grumbumble's leg, trying to keep her from leaving) NOOOOO!!!**

**Chimpy: (drags Blowfish away) Your ego's big enough already.**

**Rowlingfan217: YES!!! BEST ORIGIN FIC!!! WOOOOO!!! You have NO idea how good it makes me feel to read that!**

**E-chan5: I would imagine BB loves the Lion King. How could he not? Eh, Bats is OOC because most of the scenes where he actually DOES anything end up being mushy.**

**K9: As stated, yes the runaway train was a ref to SP2. And if I'm dropping ANY couple hints, I'm not meaning to. There are no couples as of yet.**

**"talking" 'thinking' _dreams/TV song lyrics (bold) NEWSPAPER HEADLINES (bold)_**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, "On the Road Again" by Willie Nelson, "View From Heaven" by Yellowcard, "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence (****ROCK****ON****!!!), or the Teen Titans Theme. I'm not feeling overly creative at the moment, so come up with your own funny thing and put it here mentally.**

**Also, there is no such thing as a band called Saturn's 31. I made that name up, which is why it sounds so stupid. If there really is a band out there called Saturn's 31, I am sorry for putting you in here, and please, for your own good, change your name.**

**Blowfish: Six geese-a-laying, five gooooolden riiiiin—what? Oh yeah. On with the chapter!**

**

* * *

_On the road again  
_****_Just can't wait to get on the road again_**

Cyborg sang along with the radio loudly, making it all the more impossible for Starfire to believe that Beast Boy was asleep. Robin was humming along to the song, and Raven seemed to be ignoring it. Starfire listened to it with quiet contentment, finding that she indeed liked this as much as some of the other Earthly music that Robin had shown her.

**_The life I love is makin' music with my friends_****_  
And I can't wait to get on the road again_**

Starfire was enjoying this particular drive because they were going to the new tower being constructed for them to live in. They were also traveling in one of Jump City's many underground tunnels to go under the water, and she found the idea of the water being above her rather exciting. She didn't have many such places near the city she had lived in on Tamaran.

**_On the road again_****_  
Goin' places that I've never been_**

Starfire's happy soliloquy was interrupted by the sound of Beast Boy beginning to snore. Raven pressed her head against the window.

"Must _everything_ he does be annoying?" she groaned.

Robin smiled. "Heh, I think it's his nature."

**_Seein' things that I may never see again,_****_  
And I can't wait to get on the road again._**

A stream of drool flowed down Beast Boy's chin and slicked down onto his shirt. Raven made a disgusted noise, and Starfire giggled. Cyborg was too caught up in the song, wiggling his hips to the music and tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. Raven glared at him, but he only sang with more vigor.

**_On the road again_****_  
Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway_**

Raven reached over and turned the dial, but Cyborg grabbed her hand before she could turn it to where she wanted.

"Man! I was listening to that!" Cyborg said angrily. A new song filled the car.

**_You won't be comin' back_****_  
And I didn't get to say goodbye_****_  
I really wish I got to say goodbye_**

"Hey, I know this song!" Beast Boy said, snapping awake, startling everyone else. "I love this song!"**_  
_**

**_And I'm sure the view from heaven  
_****_Beats the hell out of mine here  
_****_And if we all believe in heaven  
_****_Maybe we'll make it through one more year_**

"Crap," Raven muttered. "I wish I'd gone one more station over…"

"One more station over? What's better than Yellowcard?!" Beast Boy asked, looking shocked.

"Slipknot?" Robin offered.

"I enjoy the artist known as Michelle Branch," Starfire added.

"None of those are as good as Yellowcard!" Beast Boy yelled.

**_I hope that all is well in heaven_****_  
'Cause it's all shot to hell down here  
_****_I hope that I find you in heaven  
_****_'Cause I'm so lost without you down here_**

"Man, you guys have no respect for good music," Cyborg muttered.

"Forgive us if we aren't Willie Nelson fans, Cy," the changeling said.

**_You won't be comin' back_****_  
And I didn't get to say goodbye_****_  
I really wish I got to say goodbye…_**

"Damn! It's over!"

"Thank God," Raven and Cyborg sighed at once. Piano chords vibrated in the car, and Raven grinned. "_Now _we're talking."

**_How can you see into my eyes like open doors?_****_  
Leading you down into my core_****_  
Where I've become so numb_**

"OK," Beast Boy conceded. "Evanescence _does _kick ass. And Amy Lee is so hot."

"Ya got that right, man!" said Cyborg. He, Beast Boy, and Robin exchanged high fives, and Raven rolled her eyes.**_  
_**

**_Without a soul  
_****_My spirit's sleeping somewhere cold_****_  
Until you find it there and lead it back_****_  
Home_**

"Boys…" she muttered. Starfire wore an expression of confusion.

"Please…if this Amy Lee is 'hot', then why does no one wish to cool her down?" the alien asked. The boys stared at her, and Raven bit her cheeks to keep from laughing. The passenger seat window glowed black and cracked.

**_Wake me up!_****_  
Wake me up inside  
_****_I can't wake up!_****_  
Wake me up inside_**

"Uh…you can take this one, Rob," Cyborg said.

"Oh look, we're here!" Robin said quickly, pointing out the window. Large metal structures jutted from the earth ceiling, including one that looked like an elevator of some sort. Cyborg shut off the radio and parked the car.

"Damn, damn, damn!" Raven groaned. "It was just about to get to the really good part!"

"Don't worry, Rae," Cyborg chuckled. "Maybe I'll buy ya the CD."

"Titans," a familiar voice said. Dr. Fate appeared before them in a glowing ankh. "How do you like these tunnels? Jump City's natural caverns make it an ideal place for underground bases—for purposes pure and evil."

"Uh, yeah, it's pretty sweet," Beast Boy said, trying to sound as if he had been paying attention. "Is our entire tower thingy gonna be underground? I mean, no rabid fan girls, but…no rabid fan girls, ya know?"

"This _isn't _about picking up girls," Robin said sternly.

"I know! This is about helping people, but still—if we're gonna have all of this publicity, might as well take advantage of it, hmm?" Raven jabbed him.

"Most of your tower shall be above ground, but this is where the electrical wires and generators will go," Fate said. Cyborg perked up.

"Energy generators?"

"Yes, of course. To run a tower of this size would be an oversized task for the city's power plant. It's best to have it all here."

"Where is it?" Fate led them into a large room where a massive generator was making a dull whirring sound. "Oh yes! This is grade-A, baby!" The mechanic ran over and began inspecting the generator thoroughly. "Man…a week ago, I would've killed for something like this!"

"That's comforting," Raven muttered.

"Come on, Cy," Robin yelled. "We gotta check out the rest of this place!" Dr. Fate took them on a tour through the half-finished tower, revealing much more than the Titans had hoped for: A massive living room, several bedrooms (all still lacking in furniture except for beds), two bathrooms (which Beast Boy immediately made use of), A surveillance room, and the massive basement and storage rooms. The teens were thoroughly impressed.

"You guys put all this up in two weeks?" Cyborg said, completely flabbergasted. "That's insane!"

"The Justice League has very extensive resources," Fate said briskly. "Now, the bedrooms have beds, would you wish to spend the night here?"

"Would we!" Beast Boy cried. "This place is the _shit_, of course we wanna stay here!"

"Well then, make yourselves at home. This will _be _your home for quite a while, anyway." With that, Dr. Fate disappeared into another glowing ankh.

"Where does he go when he does that?" Beast Boy pondered aloud.

"Pocket dimension, I think," Robin said.

"Cool."

"Well, team, I guess we should…huh, what _should _we do?"

"Raid the fridge?" Raven suggested.

"I'm down with that," Cyborg said. "Anybody else?"

"Nah," Beast Boy said. "I had that nice block of tofu this morning, remember?"

Robin turned a little green at Beast Boy's comment. "Whatever appetite I had was just spoiled."

"I am not in need of nutrition at this time, friend Cyborg," Starfire said.

"All right then, guess it's just me and Rae. C'mon, Rae." Raven and Cyborg left for the kitchen.

"You think they have a gym?" Robin speculated.

"I do not know, Robin," Starfire said. "Perhaps we should inspect this tower further." She flew down the halls, Robin on her heels. Beast Boy slumped on the couch.

"Don't wait up for me," he muttered.

* * *

_"Specimen is almost fully sedated, sir."_

_"Good. Scalpel."_

_"But he's not fully sedated yet…he could scream…or even escape. And he would be in a tremendous amount of pain."_

_"Did I ask for your opinion, or did I say 'scalpel'?"_

_"Yes sir." Through his foggy vision, the boy could see the glint of metal in the man's hands._

_"Now…" he said. "I will finally know what it is that gives you your ability…I will know…I must know!" He regained his calm composure. "You may die in the experiment…but don't worry—perhaps we'll find something that can benefit mankind, hmm? Now hold still…"_

_The blade came closer and closer, until…_

"WAAH!" Beast Boy hit the floor hard, then jumped up and looked around—only to find no scalpel-wielding scientists near him.

"Jesus Christ..." he muttered. He sat on his bunk bed and shivered a little, as a small child who has been woken by a bad dream does. He suddenly wished his mother was there to tell him it was all right, that no crazed scientists would be dissecting him. Unfortunately, his mother was not there. And there was no guarantee that the man who had experimented on him wasn't lurking somewhere nearby. So he had to comfort himself in the best way he knew how.

"Soy-shake time."

Beast Boy crept through the dark halls. It was past midnight, and everyone in the tower had gone to bed many hours ago. He went into the kitchen and pulled out the soy ice cream and soymilk he'd gotten from the store earlier that day. That was really all he had done, aside from channel-surfing. Raven had found the roof to be a suitable meditating place, and stayed there until nightfall. Starfire and Robin had just been talking and hanging out, and Cyborg had gone out to get some "personal stuff"; he came back with some gear oil and a CD-shaped bag.

Beast Boy put the ice cream in the blender with some soy milk and turned it on. Even with the blender on, he could hear all of the sounds in the Tower. Starfire was beginning to snore somewhere above him, Cyborg's gears whirred away to his right, and to his left, if he strained, he could hear Raven's slow, steady breathing.

But he could hear something else.

Footsteps echoed in the hall outside the kitchen. Beast Boy crouched down on all fours, his legs like coiled springs. Every muscle in his body was tensed up, as he waited for the approach of the enemy. No signals from the human part of his brain were getting through—only fear and animal instinct remained. But then, Beast Boy heard something he did not expect.

A very long yawn.

Beast Boy paused. Surely an enemy wouldn't be so careless as to make excessive noise. He stood up, smiling at his own lack of logic. There was only one person it could be. The door opened.

"Hey, Rob," he said cheerfully.

"Mmm? Oh, hey," Robin muttered, scratching his butt. Beast Boy winced. Robin didn't appear to quite as mindful of his manners when he was tired.

"What are you doing up?"

"Huh? Oh, I was just, ya know, doing err…night patrol."

"…"

Robin yawned again. "Trust me, work enough with Bats; he'll turn you into a total insomniac."

"Ohhh…so you never sleep?"

"I sleep. Just not often, or peacefully. And I've always been a light sleeper."

"Mmm-hmm…do you always wear your mask to bed?"

Robin fingered his mask. "Nope. I actually remove it before I go to bed—though sometimes I _do _doze off with it on."

"Oh. Soy-shakes are done!" the changeling said, pouring the thick, white liquid out of the blender. "Want one?"

"Err…no thanks."

"Suit yourself." He took a long gulp of the drink and Robin looked a bit queasy.

"So," the Boy Wonder asked. "What are _you_ doing up?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"Ah…anything you wanna talk about?"

"I dunno."

"Nightmares?"

"What are you, psychic?"

"Nah, I just know how I look some nights. And you look the same."

"What do you dream about?"

"Lots of vertigo dreams about Gotham. And Joker. Man, that guy's face will really stick with you—it's hella creepy."

"Oh…"

"I dream about my parents, too. But that's mostly good stuff."

"Like what?"

"Just…normal stuff. We sit around, talking. Just talking. It's really nice."

"So…are your parents dead?"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Yours?"

"My what?"

"Your parents? Are they dead?"

"Yep." "Oh." There was a long silence. "I'm gonna get some coffee on."

"Better put on some hot water, too."

"Why?"

"Raven's up."

"How do you know—"

Raven walked in, yawning. "Hey," she grunted. Robin looked at Beast Boy.

"How the hell—"

Beast Boy grinned and wiggled his long ears. "Stylish _and _fully functional."

"Well, they're fully functional," Raven grumbled, filling the teapot with hot water. He glared at her.

"Why are _you_ up?"

"Because I'm awake." "Don't try using Star's logic on me! What's got you up and about?"

"I could ask you the same question. But it's really none of my business, just like mine is none of yours."

"Geez, you're just a ball of sunshine tonight, eh?"

"I really don't think it's any of your business why I'm up, that's all."

Beast Boy glared at her. It didn't seem fair to him that he and Robin had spilled their guts to each other, but she wouldn't say anything.

"Ya know, Raven, someday you're gonna have to—"

EEEEEEEEEEMMP! EEEEEEEEEMMP! EEEEEEEEEMMP!

"—WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Beast Boy yelled over the noise.

"IT'S THE ALARM!" Robin yelled.

"WHAT?"

"THE ALARM!"

"WHAT?!"

"IT'S THE—" Raven pushed a button on the wall, stopping the noise. "—alarm. Thanks, Raven."

"What's the alarm for?" Beast Boy asked. "I mean, other than making us crap our pants in surprise."

"It's to tell us that a crime's going on somewhere in the city." Cyborg and Starfire came running in.

"What is the emergency for which the alarm alarms us?" Starfire asked.

"Yeah, I almost got my eardrums blasted out!" Cyborg said angrily. Robin's fingers worked furiously on the keyboard.

"Looks like…a giant cinderblock man," he said, looking puzzled. On the screen was a large humanoid figure with a strange, cinderblock-like head. The rest of his body appeared to be made out of stone.

"Cinderblock?" Beast Boy said incredulously. "That is the second most fucked-up thing I have _ever _seen."

"Well, fucked-up or not, he's wrecking downtown. All right, let's—"

"Uh, Robin?"

"Yes, Raven?"

"Uhh…you, Beast Boy, and I are still in our pajamas." Robin looked down to find that he was indeed not in his costume.

"Oh. Umm…"

"Cinderblock can't wait," Cyborg said. "How about Star and I go ahead, and you guys change?"

"OK! Cyborg, Starfire, go deal with Cinderblock. Raven, Beast Boy, go change."

"Wait a sec," Beast Boy said.

"What?"

"Our clothes are in the wash."

"…You guys don't have more clothes?!"

"If we wait two hours, we will."

"We don't have two hours! You guys _honestly _don't have anything to wear?" Raven shifted uncomfortably.

"Well…I do have this one thing…but it's—"

"Don't care. Put it on. Beast Boy, we'll find something for you in the basement. Cyborg, Starfire, go get Cinderblock. We'll be with you shortly."

"Got it. All right Star, let's move!" Cyborg yelled. They went downstairs and out the door. Raven sighed and went to her room. Robin grabbed Beast Boy by the wrist and dragged him into the basement.

"There's _gotta _something down here," Robin muttered. He paused and thought about all of the things Dr. Fate had shown them earlier. "I've got it! Fate left us some blackout gear!"

"Awesome!" Beast Boy said excitedly. Blackout gear was cool, and green went very well with black.

Robin made his way over to the crate that Dr. Fate had pointed out as the container for the blackout gear. He found that another crate, labeled "PAINT" was on top of it. He lifted it up, only to find that it was leaking paint. He also found that the blackout gear crate was partially opened. He looked inside.

"Oh hell…" he groaned.

"What?" Beast Boy asked. Robin held up the top to the suit.

There was a bright purple stripe going right down the middle.

"You have _got _to be kidding me. Please tell me there's another suit in there. There _has _to be another suit in there."

"This is the only one."

"No. No way. No way in _hell_."

"Beast Boy, this is it."

"_NO._"

"It's this, or go out in your PJs. Your choice."

"Goddammit…"

"And…uh…there's one more thing." Robin held up the pants, which were purple down to the mid-thigh, making it look like they had purple shorts on over them.

"Son of a…tell me at least I get cool boots."

"Err…whaddya know! There are some cool boots in here that match you costume just right! And some gloves and a belt too!" He held up a pair of purple boots, a silver belt, and a pair of gray gloves.

Beast Boy started to bang his head against the wall.

* * *

Cinderblock tore a lamppost from the sidewalk and began to swing it around, clearly enjoying himself. Police fired at him, but the bullets that actually hit him barely penetrated his stone skin. 

"This bastard just won't go down," one of the cops muttered.

"Hey, look!" another yelled, pointing skywards.

"It's two of those Teen Titans!" Starfire was carrying Cyborg and they appeared to be flying towards Cinderblock.

"Come to try to help us, ya think?"

"Guess so. They're superheroes, right?"

"Superheroes my ass. Bunch of kids playing dress-up, if ya ask me." Starfire let go of Cyborg and he landed on Cinderblock, driving the behemoth down to the ground.

"Maybe so, but they're pretty damn amazing!" the cop laughed.

Cyborg grinned, both feet placed firmly on Cinderblock's chest. "Whaddya got _now_, big guy?" he taunted. As if to give an answer, Cinderblock grabbed Cyborg by his neck with one of his massive hands and flung him through the wall of a nearby building. Starfire sped towards the stone beast and flung several starbolts at it. The blasts knocked Cinderblock back a few feet, but then he extended his arm and batted at Starfire, knocking her from the air and onto the ground forcefully.

She sank an inch into the ground.

Cinderblock was about to bring his foot down on her, but Cyborg quickly pinned him with a body slam. Starfire got up, looking pained. Cinderblock forced Cyborg off of him.

"I don't think this is gonna work," Cyborg said.

* * *

"AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! RAVEN, WHAT ARE YOU _WEARING_?!" 

"SHUT UP!"

"Dude…you look like a circus performer! AHAHAHAHAHA!"

"I SAID _SHUT UP_, YOU LITTLE—"

"Quit it, both of you!" Robin yelled. The boys had come upstairs from changing to find Raven in a leotard and cloak. Robin didn't find anything wrong with it, but Beast Boy, not used to the concept of how silly superhero costumes could look, was laughing hysterically.

"Dude, where did you _get_ that?"

"It's a traditional ritual outfit where I come from," Raven huffed. "Not for going out and fighting monsters."

"Oh. The belt's kinda cool, but man, this is priceless!"

"One more word, purple-stripe boy…"

"Hey! It wasn't my fault some retard put the paint box on top of the box with the black spandex!"

"Enough, you two," Robin interrupted. "We've got a rogue monster and two teammates at a disadvantage! Let's go!"

* * *

Cyborg was, quite literally, out of breath. 

Cinderblock was holding him up against the wall, choking him. Starfire was pounding him with starbolts relentlessly, but he showed no signs that it was actually hurting him. Suddenly, black energy engulfed Cinderblock's hands and pried them from Cyborg's neck. Cyborg slid down the wall to the ground, trying to force air back into his lungs.

Starfire turned to see Raven, hands aglow, on a rooftop chanting her heart out. Starfire was not unused to this sight, but she was rather surprised by Raven's choice of clothes. With her limited knowledge of Earthly apparel, she could only assume that Raven had been presented with warrior garb in honor of some great deed, as was the custom on her planet. She assumed the same for Beast Boy, who was running up in black and purple spandex, changing into a rhino.

Beast Boy head-butted Cinderblock into the wall several times. Beast Boy changed back to human form, and stepped back from his opponent, who was now motionless. Cyborg got up and slapped his friend on the back, feeling triumphant.

Cinderblock shot out a hand and grabbed Beast Boy by his neck.

"Get this…bastard…off of me…!" Beast Boy gasped. Raven and Cyborg dove at Cinderblock, but he smacked them aside with ease. Starfire crouched down and tried to sneak up on him, but he could hear the crunch of gravel under her boots. Starfire's head snapped back when his heel connected with her jaw. Cinderblock let out a short choppy noise, which she could only assume was it laughing at them.

THWACK!

Beast Boy slipped from Cinderblock's grip and to the ground, rubbing his neck. The cement monster dropped like a…well, like a stone. Robin stood over him with his bo staff drawn. Cyborg came over and nudged Cinderblock with his foot. He did not move.

"Wow…nice one, man," Cyborg said.

"Thanks," Robin said. One of the cops came running over.

"Is it dead?" he asked.

"I think he's just unconscious."

"Oh. Well, either way, thanks a lot."

Robin beamed. "You're welcome."

"'You're welcome' ain't gonna fix all of this property damage," another voice said. Robin turned to face a tall, balding man that he recognized from the paper as being a lieutenant. Starfire, naïve as always, stepped forward with her hand out.

"Greetings, sir! I have seen your picture in the paper, yes? You are—"

"Lieutenant Nathan Pommel, Jump City Police Department" he said gruffly. "And who might you be?"

Under the impression that full titles were being exchanged, Starfire boldly said, "I am Koriand'r, Tamaranian Warrior Second Class, Teen Titan. But my Earthly title is Starfire," she added.

"I know your 'Earthly title'," Lieutenant Pommel said, looking slightly angry. "I watch the news. You kids think you're real hot shit, don't you?"

"Err…I know not of this 'hot shit' of which you speak, but—"

"No we don't, sir," Robin quickly interjected. "We're just trying to help out, that's all."

"You 'superheroes'…you all think you're so great, but you're all just press-grabbing gold-diggers." Robin looked offended.

"No we're not!"

"Don't give me that crap, kid. I've heard it all before. The Justice League has so much of that tech, where do you think they get it all? They ask for money behind the citizens' backs, that's where! And they get it, because there aren't enough people like me who see through it or try to stop it!"

Robin was enraged. Of course, he knew that the League got a lot of money from Bruce Wayne, aka Batman. But he did it all in secret so no one could possibly connect him to his alter-ego. Robin did, however, know another place the League got money.

"They're government-funded," the Boy Wonder said, gritting his teeth.

"Pah! The government just wants to have them on hand in case they ever need a favor."

"The Justice League is _not _some government weapon!" Robin yelled. "And neither are we!"

"Well, whatever you are, you've knocked out two walls and damaged part of a sidewalk. Now get the hell out of my way. I need to write a report." He walked towards Cinderblock with the other cop, and the Titans hung back, feeling angry.

"Jackass is just pissed 'cause we did something his little golden boys couldn't," Cyborg muttered. He turned to Raven and Beast Boy. "By the way, what the _hell_ are you two wearing?" Raven glared at him while Beast Boy just sighed. Robin's belt began beeping, and Cyborg looked at it cautiously.

"That thing ain't gonna blow up, is it?"

"Of course not," Robin said. "It's hooked up with the alarm. We've got another emergency." Robin pulled a circular yellow object out his belt—the source of the beeping. It had a white 'T' on it.

"What is that?" Raven asked.

"It's a communicator that Cyborg and I whipped up. We'll make one for everyone soon, but right now we just have one."

"So what's the emergency?" Beast Boy queried, peering over Robin's shoulder. Robin flipped up the part of the communicator with a screen. A burning building came up on it. "It's a fire. We'd better get over there."

* * *

Several firefighters were already pumping water onto the building, but the blaze was proving quite resistant to their efforts. Another one ran out of the building carrying a boy. He put the boy down with the paramedics and ran over to his companions. 

"There are still three people accounted for," he yelled to them. "I'm goin' back in!" Almost as if in response to the man's words, the roof collapsed. "Goddammit!"

"There's no way we can get in there," another one said. Suddenly, a black vortex appeared a few feet away. The Teen Titans stepped out. Robin went over to the firefighters.

"Anyone still in there?" he asked.

"Yeah, but the roof's collapsed. Even if anyone in there was still alive, we couldn't get to them."

"Leave that to us. How many people are still in there?"

"Are you hard of hearing, kid? There's no way you could get in there!"

"How many?" He looked at the teens, scanning their faces, wondering if they had an inkling as to what they were doing. There was no fear in their eyes.

"…Three." Robin turned to the others.

"Got it?" They nodded. "All right." Then, he said something. None of them knew it at that moment, but the words he said would follow them for a long time.

"Titans! GO!"

Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg ran through the door, while Raven and Starfire flew up to a window on one of the higher floors. Robin nodded to the other boys, and they separated. Beast Boy climbed the stairs to the second floor, where he could hear someone screaming.

"Hello?" he yelled.

"Help!" a voice responded.

"I'm coming!" There was a door between him and the person. "Not for long…" He changed into a gorilla and smashed into it with his shoulder. The door gave away easily and Beast Boy ran inside. There was an old woman trapped under a piece of wood that was burning at the end opposite of her. He lifted it off her and scooped her up in his large arms—much to her dismay. She kicked and screamed in horror, and Beast Boy could only carry her down the steps, feeling a bit irritated.

Cyborg pushed a burning door down, pleased that his metal hands weren't capable of burning. He looked around the kitchen and could see no one there. He could, however, feel something nudging at his leg. He looked down to see a lanky retriever barking at him. 'Not one of the three people, but whatever,' he thought, shrugging. He picked up the dog and ran back towards the exit.

Raven and Starfire flew quickly through the higher floors, able to hear the ceiling above them creaking with the weight of the collapsed roof. Raven stopped at a fork in the hallway. Starfire halted behind her.

"This way," Raven said, pointing to the left.

"We must go quickly. I feel that I am—" She coughed. "—having some difficulty respiring."

"Let's go," she agreed. The went to the left where they found a boy around their age pounding fruitlessly on a door with his shoulder. He turned and observed them for a few seconds.

"Oh shit," he muttered. "I'm dead, aren't I?"

"Not yet," Raven deadpanned, grabbing his arm. Starfire linked her arm around his other arm, and they flew towards the window.

Robin led a little girl through the burning hallways. He was moving blindly—a fallen beam had blocked the path that he had entered through. He took a right turn and saw a light at the end of the hallway. A window. He leaned down and gestured for the girl to get on his back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he put an arm under her. He ran forward, drawing out his grappling hook with his free hand.

"Hold on," he advised her. He shot the grappling hook through the window. He pulled it and found that he had indeed connected to something. The girl gripped his neck tighter as he jumped out the window and swung down to the street, where he deposited her with her parents.

Robin found that he had been the last one out: Cyborg was helping with the fire hoses, Raven was attempting to smother part of the fire with her powers, Beast Boy was attempting to calm down the hysterical old woman he was with who was shocked at the fact that he was no longer a gorilla, and Starfire was over by the paramedics, using an oxygen mask. He walked over to her.

"You okay?" he asked, looking concerned.

"Yes, I believe that I shall be fine," she said, taking the mask off. "Robin, there is something I must ask you."

"Yes?"

"What does 'hitting on' someone mean?"

Robin felt himself go a little red. "Wh-why do you want to know that?"

"Because Raven said the boy we rescued was 'hitting on us', but he did at no time strike us. So I believe she was using a slang term."

"He was hitting on you? When?"

"After we brought him out of the building. He referred to my skirt as 'tight', and that I should 'go out' with him sometime. Is my skirt too small, Robin? It does not cause me discomfort…and I do not know what he meant by 'going out'. We are already outside, are we not?"

"Err…I'll tell you when we get back to the tower. How about that?" he asked, knowing that Starfire would probably forget her question entirely by the time they got back to the tower.

"Of course, Robin. Oh, look!" She pointed to the building which was now only smoldering. "Glorious! It appears that the efforts of our friends and the fighters of fire were a success!"

"Yep. We'd better get back to the tower."

* * *

"WHAT IS _THIS _BULLSHIT?!" Cyborg slammed the newspaper down on the table, causing Raven's teacup to vibrate. She and the others looked up at him. 

"What?" she asked.

"Look!"

**TEEN TITANS SUSPECTED IN ARSON AS PUBLICITY STUNT**

It was the day after the fire, which the police had deemed an arson. Obviously, they had their suspects.

"Why would they try the pin it on us?" Beast Boy asked, infuriated. "We saved _three_ people!"

"And a dog!"

"They want to make us look bad," Raven stated simply.

"But why?" Starfire asked softly. "Why would they wish us ill when we only try to help?"

"Because we're outsiders. We're different. They've seen enough of the bad sort of our kind to think that we're no good either."

"Man," Robin muttered. "This just….this sucks."

"What's the point if they're just going to try to jail us?" Beast Boy questioned. He looked back at the TV, where there was a concert going on.

_"Hey, everybody!" a guitarist with messy hair said. " We're Saturn's 31, and we're really stoked to be opening for __Jump __City__'s Night of Rock!" The crowd went wild. "Anyway, before we start playing, I have to tell ya, there's a story behind this next song."_

_"My sis here, Amy, and I," he said, gesturing to the girl with the bass guitar. "We're natives of this great city, and even though we've moved out, our mom still lives here. Hi Ma, we know you're watchin' this! Anyway, ya'll probably know all about the big fire downtown, don't ya?" The crowd let out murmurs of recognition.__"Yeah, well, it was our mom's apartment building." There were gasps from the spectators. "Don't worry, she's fine. But she told us the wackiest story about this gorilla savin' her. A gorilla, really!"_

Beast Boy's eyes widened. "No way."

"What's up, BB?" asked Cyborg.

"Dude! You guys have gotta come over here!" All of the Titans sat on the couch and watched.

_"Yeah, she found out it was one of those Teen Titans! Come on, you know, those awesome guys who live up in that weird tower? The ones who save our asses on a regular basis?" The crowd cheered. "Yeah, they're the best! So, in thanks for saving our mom, Amy wrote a song for them!"_

"…Wow." Raven said, looking a little weirded out.

_"And…it goes a little like this. HIT IT!"_

**_When there's trouble you know who to call_****_  
_**

**_ Teen Titans!_**

**_From their tower, they can see it all_**

**_Teen Titans!_**

**_When there's evil on the attack  
You can rest knowing they got your back  
'Cause when the world needs heroes on patrol_**

**_Teen Titans GO!_**

**_With their superpowers they unite_**

**_Teen Titans!_**

**_Never met a villain that they liked_**

**_Teen Titans!_**

**_They've got the bad guys on the run  
They never stop till the job gets done  
'Cause when the world is losin' all control_**

**_Teen Titans GO!_**

**_One!_****_  
Two!_****_  
Three!_****_  
Four!_****_  
GO!_**

**_TEEN TITANS!_**

The Titans sat on the couch in silence. Beast Boy didn't pump his fist in the air, Cyborg didn't raise and eyebrow, Starfire didn't cheer, Raven didn't roll her eyes, and Robin didn't try to calm them all down. They just sat there, smiling.

Because despite being pounded by Cinderblock, hassled by police, nearly suffocating in a fire, and being accused of arson, one small band and a dorky song had somehow made their day.

**

* * *

Blowfish: Holy CRAP, that was LONG. I don't think I've ever actually written anything that long. Wow. Ugh. My brain is…guh. Anyway, I'm gonna start with the re-telling/twisting of the series next chapter.**

**Next time: In the midst of being criticized by the press and the police, a much deadlier threat looms for the Teen Titans: Three teenagers sent by the mysterious HIVE. Will they overcome these well-organized, well-trained fighting machines? And just why were they sent? All (or most) will be revealed next time!**

**See the button? The blue one? Press it. You know you want to. Blowfish likes it when you press the blue button...**

**EDIT: Fixed some spacing stuff. **


	7. Final Exam

**Blowfish: Yes, I'm back, loyal reade—**

**Readers: GAAAHHH! (tackle Blowfish…violently)**

**Blowfish: Erk…my SPINE…**

**Readers: That's what you get for disappearing off the face of the Earth, you sack of crap!**

**Blowfish: Ahh…sorry…no, seriously…guys…I can't feel me legs…**

**Readers: (beating Blowfish with wiffle bats) YOU FUTHERMUCKING PIECE OF—**

**Galaxy Girl: Didn't I copyright "futhermucking"?**

**Blowfish: (shrugs) I dunno…maybe. It's a fun substitute for motherfu—**

**Censors: Hey! Hold it down there, author!**

**Blowfish: All right…sorry to all my faithful readers for being a lazy-ass…you should really blame my teachers too, though. Too much friggin' homework.**

**ninmenju-shin: Yep, Yellowcard rocks. And I get to listen to loads of Apocalyptica, because my brother left his CD behind! Yay! If you wanted to know, they're a cello quartet, and they're really good. The CD my bro has is "Inquisition Symphony"—it's a good one, especially that one song, "Nothing Else Matters"…Ahh…I'm listening to it right now! And yes, I actually have a shirt that says that. I love wearing it, but over half the people in my school don't know what a schizophrenic is, or even how to pronounce it correctly...dumb-asses. I dunno, I think Amy Lee is good-looking…I'm a girl, but I can still respect that, can't I! So I thought BB would drool over her. It snowed a bit where I live, but we never actually got a snow day… Yes, BB will certainly come to love his costume…in time. Heh, I'm gonna try to stop the SM references, but I swear, sometimes I do this stuff unintentionally…OO; Cops…I respect them and everything, but they always get pissed at heroes…so I thought I'd play on that a bit. And I only saw part two of "The Once and Future Thing"! I was so angry! But yeah, I bet stuff is gonna be really awkward between good ol' GL and HG from now on… I can only imagine if the subject ever comes up…**

**Green Lantern: So…have you ever considered…ya know…having a kid…?**

******Hawkgirl: …?**

******GL: I mean…not with ME. I mean, what could possibly lead me to believe that we would have a kid together that would become an armored badass named Warhawk? Why would I imply that? What, do you think me and Batman somehow traveled to the future and met said son! Why would you think THAT!**

**********HG: …Is there something I should know, Jon?**

**********GL: I PLEAD THE FIFTH!**

**********ninmenju-shin: Those crazy, crazy lovebirds. Glad you liked the theme song idea. I'm not sure why, but I wanted to stick it in somewhere. This is weird, because I actually find the theme song quite annoying…yet strangely catchy.**

**********TtitansFan: Yessss…yesss…press the BUTTON! The review button is a wonderful thing… I wouldn't know of the evils of little brothers…just big ones. One-liners are a great writing tool…that's why I use them so much! I guess I was implying that the big monster from chapter three was the most effed-up thing that BB has ever seen. You have both Evanescence CDs. Grr, I envy you. "Everybody's Fool" is a good (and often-used) song for the Terra arc, but I actually have some different songs in mind…yes, I am planning ahead! Which is NOT like me…OO; My mom is rubbing off on me at last. Damn. I hope I do a good job with the re-telling… You're talking about the oekaki, yes? I think I've seen you around there…glad you like my stuff! I like part one of "Aftershock" better too…lots of kick-ass fight scenes!**

**********K9: Glad you liked it! You're right, SP references aplenty. And yes, the Titans will have their day with Lt. Pommel. Note to self…look up the term "pompose"…I KNOW I've heard that somewhere…**

**********Mag: Thanks, I will!**

**********Bob-Chan: Yeah, reading back over that conversation, it did get kind of confusing. And I left some spacing out! I thought I corrected that…ah hell, I'll export the chap later. I'm glad you like this as an origin fic. I haven't read that many, and I decided to make one of my own! But it's going to be a lot more than that, as you'll see. Yes, I was pissed when I couldn't understand Mas y Menos, but I love French. And I swear, my French teacher is the coolest teacher…EVER. She rocks. Yes, I know Puffy AmiYumi sang the theme song, but I didn't want to use them for some reason…maybe it's because they have their own show now…which I haven't watched, and don't ever wish to. Damn, the extended version? I completely forgot about it when I was writing that chapter…ah well…**

**********sugarpony: Sure I'll give you tips! A reviewer from "Heroes" actually asked for the same thing, so I'll give you the same advice…I can't think of anything better than what I said to her… nn;**

**********This is something you probably already know, but you really need to stamp it into your brain while you're writing (I have to do so on a regular basis): Metaphors and adjectives are your FRIEND. Screw around with descriptions as much as you can until you think it sounds good.** **If you need to mess with a paragraph for an HOUR, do so. It'll turn out a LOT better, trust me.** **Take advantage of space to build suspense. Instead of:**

**********Suzie went into the living room and she could feel the presence of some other being with her. She backed towards the wall, but ran into something much softer. She heard breathing behind her. She turned. Suzie screamed, but not for very long.**

**********Do this:**

**********Suzie went into the living room and she could feel the presence of some other being with her. She backed towards the wall, but ran into something much softer. She heard breathing behind her. She turned.**

**********Suzie screamed, but not for very long.**

**********It makes it a bit more interesting, doesn't it? **

**********4. Never underestimate the power that is the one-liner.**

**********5. Get creative with the way your characters speak. Do they have an accent? Don't be afraid to pile on the "ya's" and the "zis's" ("this" with a strong, foreign European accent, like German or French)**

**********So…yeah. That's the best I have. However pathetic it may be. If you want more, I'll think of something. What site are you posting on, btw? Maybe I'll check it out.**

**********Rowlingfan: Oo …Yeah, glomping is better. GLOMP!**

**********xino: Tell me about it. Stupid politicians. I've made my mom promise to run me over with her car if I ever become one… Don't worry about the Titans though, they'll be fine.**

**********CrazySpirit123: Thanks, I hope you like this chapter!**

**********Xyteron: Yeah, something about BB actually CHOOSING to wear purple stripes just didn't sit with me. And BB angst is fun. But dorky BB is fun too, so don't be surprised if you see just as much of that. Eh, the cops are just stubborn. And not ALL of them are that way. No, there won't be any real signs of pairings for a long time. (If there ARE any, they're unintentional.)**

**********Fallen Angel X: Thanks, I will!**

**********Grumbumble: Yay, you're back! It does get VERY confusing writing both of these at once…I can never think of the right ideas at the right time. nn; Pommel will be a constant hindrance to the Titans' social image. I'm glad you liked how I did those elements of the story, and I hope you like my "Blowfish-ified" version of the series.**

**********"talking" 'thinking' _Tamaranian/TV _COMPUTER (bold)**

**********Disclaimer: Okay, even if I'm technically now using the basic PLOT of the series, I still don't own it. I'm gonna screw around with it, but I don't own it. I don't own _Seinfield_ or Edward Elric (from _Full Metal Alchemist_) either.**

**********Blowfish: Now…as I've said, from now on, this fic will be a retelling of sorts of the series. It will be different, though, with lots of twists. TWISTS, I SAY! And I'm gonna put in lots of my own stuff in between. And none of the nonsensical episodes, I'm afraid. This will be angsty. Very, very angsty. You have been warned.**

**********Now…onto chapter seven!**

**********

* * *

**The sound of machines pounded in the woman's ears. The "ch-chk" of gears combined with the near darkness of the room was very unsettling. She tucked her notepad under her arm and stood, waiting.

"So, where is this stellar team you bragged about?"

The woman jumped a little in surprise then berated herself for doing so. She was supposed to stay calm. She looked up to see a masculine silhouette on the catwalk looking down at her.

"I have brought a video of them," she said.

"Oh," the man said, sounding almost amused. She winced a bit. His voice was very…unsettling. Creepy, really. That was the only word for it. "Why didn't you say so?"

With a snap of his fingers, a light came on, revealing a large screen with a small slot below it. The woman hesitantly strode over to it and popped a small disk into the slot. A large yellow hexagon appeared on the screen with an "H" in the middle and the acronym "H.A.E.Y.P" around the border. The woman cleared her throat.

"The HIVE Academy for Extraordinary Young People presents…" The screen shifted to a picture of three teenagers. One was almost too short to be called a teen. He sported goggles, a green jumpsuit, and a shaven head. The girl standing next to him had catlike pink eyes that matched her outlandish hair, which was drawn into two huge, horn-like bunches. A behemoth stood last in line. He had to be at least seven feet tall, and had long, shaggy red hair. "…this year's valedictorians."

The screen flashed with light and sound, showing scenes of the three teens tearing into robots and obstacle courses. The camera paused on the short, bald boy, who had been in the process of using a robot's cannon against its fellows.

"This is Gizmo, the pride of out technology wing. He is highly trained in handling of any and all machines, particularly weaponry."

"Interesting," the man said. "Is he familiar with the makeup of guns?"

She actually chuckled. "Sir, he can dissemble a laser cannon blindfolded."

"Ah. Quite experienced, I see."

"All of them are. Now…" The screen paused again, this time focusing on the pink-haired girl. "Jinx. She's a sorceress of many spells, so to speak. She is very proficient with curses and hexes—the reason for her codename."

"Mmm. That would be useful. Go on."

The screen now showed the burly teen actually ripping a robot in half. "Mammoth is one of our genetically-enhanced students. He has the strength of ten lions."

"Hmm…I would like to test that."

"…'Test' it?"

"Well, the service this team offers me costs quite a sum of money. Surely the H.A.E.Y.P would have no problem with me putting their 'valedictorians' through one final exam."

"And what would that be?" she asked tentatively.

"Don't sound so concerned. Your students have the advantage of experience…and I believe their skills are _perfect_ for this assignment."

"Oh. What sort of 'test' are we talking about?"

"Pitting them up against more than machines will give me a _real _idea of what they're capable of. If I like what I see, then we shall discuss your payment."

"So who do you have in mind?" He snapped his fingers, and another image came up on the screen: A large T-shaped tower.

"The Teen Titans. Have you heard of them?"

"Yes…"

"I would assume you have. Most mercenary and criminal groups have become…concerned…with the presence of vigilantes. I wish to ease all our minds and dispose of them."

"So you want the HIVE students to…"

"Kill the Teen Titans. Then I shall consider their services."

* * *

"'Nog champagne'?" Beast Boy asked, reading off of the package of incense. 

"'Nag champa'," Raven growled. "They help me meditate."

"Man, I hate incense. They mess with my nose."

"It's _soothing_," she said, snatching the package from him. "Unlike you, they don't give me a headache."

"Hey!"

"Settle down, boys and girls," Cyborg chuckled. "So Rae, how'd you like the movie? Sorry I couldn't sit through the rest of it with you."

"What movie?" Beast Boy asked.

"I took her to Jump City's old theater—you know, the one where they play lots of sci-fi flicks? They were playing _Raiders of the Lost Ark_, but I had to go get some supplies and I left Rae at the theater."

"They were playing _Raiders of the Lost Ark_! And you didn't invite _me_!"

"You were asleep, man. I think that bank robbery wore you out."

"Then you should have woken me up!"

"Chill, man, they're playing it on the Sci-Fi channel in two weeks."

"Oh...OK, I guess we'll watch it then. So, how _did _you like it, Rave?"

"Not at all," she said, sipping her tea. "I fell asleep."

Cyborg's human eye twitched. "You…_WHAT?_"

She shrugged. "It was boring."

"_BLASPHEMY!_" Beast Boy exploded. "YOU _SLEPT _THROUGH _RAIDERS OF THE LOST __ARK_THAT'S LIKE…THAT'S LIKE THE EQUIVALENT OF THAT TIME ON _SEINFIELD _WHERE JERRY AND HIS GIRLFRIEND MADE OUT THROUGH _SCHINDLER'S LIST_!"

"_Schindler's List_ was a movie about the Holocaust, not about some stupid archeologist. Besides, that episode wouldn't have been _nearly_ as offensive if Jerry hadn't been Jewish. I'm not a sci-fi geek like you guys, so…"

"I…I can't believe this. EVERYTHING I KNOW IS WRONG!"

"Well then dance to that Weird Al song."

Cyborg put a finger to his chin, temporarily distracted. "That rhymed. Huh." At that point, Robin and Starfire walked in deep in conversation.

"…So that is how the Tamaranian physiology allows for solar regeneration," she finished. Robin looked thoughtful.

"That's pretty cool. Hey!" he yelled, noticing Beast Boy and Raven in a savage argument. "What the hell is going on?"

"Beast Boy's just angry because I slept through _Raiders of the Lost Ark_," Raven muttered.

"Well, that's a stupid thing to—wait, you _slept_ through _Raiders of the Lost Ark_?"

"Not you too…"

"Well, it _was _a great movie."

"Augh! I'm surrounded…"

"Please," Starfire asked confusedly. "If this ark is lost, then why are people wishing to raid it?"

There was a long silence. Robin slapped his forehead while the others just stared.

"Star, it's a movie…" he said.

"Oh. Perhaps I should see this movie of people that raid arks that cannot be found?"

"I wouldn't recommend it," Raven snorted.

"Hey now," Cyborg said. "I spent eight bucks on that ticket!"

"I didn't _say_ I wanted to see it."

"Please, no more mean talking between friends!" Starfire interrupted. "We should mend this dispute over the consumption of the food of junk."

"Junk food, Star," Robin corrected her.

"Oh. Thank you, Robin! I shall fetch the 'junk food'." She opened the refrigerator, screamed, and shot a starbolt at it. Blue goo flew everywhere, coating everyone in the room. Starfire assumed a battle pose. "Fear not, friends! If we work quickly, perhaps we can vanquish the—"

"Star, _what _are you talking about?"

"This foul blue creature is none other than the Harganthan mold monster! It is very dangerous!"

"Uhhh…" Cyborg said, wiping some of the slime off his arm. "I think this is just Earthly mold, Star."

"It is?"

"Uh, yeah," Raven said. "And now it's in my hair."

"Oh…I apologize. I was sure that it was the Harganthan mold monster…"

"Why would you be afraid of some stupid mold?" Beast Boy said.

"The Harganthan mold monster is a very poisonous creature in the Harganthan swamp on Tamaran. All Tamaranians are told to stay away from it from childhood."

"Ugh," Raven muttered, squeegee-ing out her hair. "I think I saw this growing on Beast Boy's tofu earlier…"

"WHAT!" Beast Boy yelled. "Why didn't you say anything!"

"I figured you'd find it."

"Are you _trying _to kill me!"

"Maybe."

"Hold it down, team," Robin said. "It's lunchtime. I say we go out for pizza. You guys wanna do that?" There was a pause, and everyone nodded. "Good. Let's go."

* * *

"Dude! We are _not _getting the meat special! I've _been _most of those animals!" 

"You are _not _denying me the all-meat experience, green genes!"

"Didn't I suggest coming here to _stop_ the fighting?" Robin grumbled.

"Cyborg's a meat man, Beast Boy's a vegan," Raven said, leafing through the menu. "I don't think they could stop arguing without defying the laws of nature."

The waitress walked over. "Can I get you guys something to drink?"

"Orange soda," Beast Boy said.

"Grape soda," Cyborg answered.

"I would wish to have your finest mustard!" The waitress stared at Starfire. Robin nodded at the girl, who then wrote down the order and turned to Raven.

"Hot water, please," the empath responded without looking up.

"A Dr. Pepper would be great," Robin said. The girl nodded and left, and Beast Boy and Cyborg went back to arguing.

"Vegetarian!"

"All-meat!"

"Perhaps bananas, pickles, and some mint frosting?" Starfire suggested.

"Azar, kill me now," Raven muttered.

On the roof of the building across the street, someone was watching the Titans. The dwarfish figure adjusted his goggles. '_This _is who Slade wants us to destroy?' he thought. '_These_ idiots? Puh-leeze…'

"Gizmo, you there or what?" a voice said in his ear. He put his hand up to his com-link.

"Keep your shirt on, Jinx," he muttered.

"That's exactly the opposite of what I expect to hear from you, ya little pervert."

He reddened. "Can we talk about this later?"

"Oh, we will. Once I find out which one of you panty-raided my room, the perpetrator won't be having kids…"

"You _know _that was Mammoth."

"No, I don't. For all I know, it could've been both of you, considering the fact that the room was torn up and there was a foot stool by the dresser."

"Err…bzzt! You're…bzzt…you're breaking up Jinx! BZZJJT! BZZT!"

"Don't pull that crap with me. I'll whoop your little ass later, right now I'm going to commence with phase one. Jinx out." The com-link turned off.

"Little bitch," Gizmo muttered. "I ain't takin' the fall for Mammoth, that's for sure. If I go down, that bastard's goin' down with me…"

Jinx was at the top of the hill on which the pizza parlor rested. She stood on the sidewalk, trying to be inconspicuous—something hard to do when you have pink hair. But she had been trained to blend in. She strode over to the bus that was parked on the street, avoiding the sight of the driver, who was on the sidewalk talking with another man.

Jinx leaned up against the bus in a casual manner, and slid her hand out of her pocket and pressed her palm against the vehicle. Pink, electricity-like magic sprang from her fingers, dancing across the bus and into the driver's seat, where they jumped to the gearshift lever, putting it in neutral. She quickly walked away as the bus began to roll down the hill.

"HEY!" the driver yelled, running after it. "HELP! RUNAWAY BUS!"

Down the street, Beast Boy's ears perked up. "I think someone needs help."

"Look!" Starfire gasped. A bus was careening down the hill, picking up speed. People on the street ran away, but there was a lone baby carriage in the middle of the bus's path.

Robin jumped into action. "Star, take the carriage, BB and I will back you up. Cyborg, Raven, stop the bus. Titans, GO!"

Starfire flew towards the carriage and picked it up, taking it safely to the other side of the street. Robin and Beast Boy followed her while Raven and Cyborg planted their feet in the street.

"Ready to go Edward Elric on this thing, Rae?" Cyborg chuckled.

"Actually, I've got a better idea," she said. "But I will need you to slow it down."

"You got it." He ran forward and shot out his arms, pressing his hands to the moving bus's grill. His metal feet let out a horrible screech grinding against the asphalt, and a bead of sweat crept down the human half of his face. Raven held up her hand.

"Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" The bus's gearshift slid back into park. The wheels came to a screeching halt, as did the bus. Cyborg slid to the ground against it, panting.

"Nice one, Rae. Now who's the nimrod driving this thing?"

"Err…no one," she said, peering in the doors. "This thing is completely empty."

"What?"

Robin picked up the teddy bear out of the baby carriage. "Strange…" he muttered. "We've got the toy…but no baby."

"Out to lunch?" Beast Boy laughed nervously. Robin glared at him, while Starfire glanced around.

"Robin," she whispered. "I feel that something…is not right." She paused. "What is that beeping sound?"

"What beeping sound?" Robin asked.

"I hear it too," Beast Boy said. He looked at the toy resting in Robin's hands. "I think it's coming from the teddy bear." Robin's eyes widened under his mask.

"Oh _sh—_"

BOOOOOM!

Raven and Cyborg turned just in time to see the teddy bear explode. Robin managed to drop it before it detonated, but it still blew him, Starfire, and Beast Boy across the street. Starfire smacked into a wall, Robin skidded on the ground, and Beast Boy landed in a trash can. Raven imagined that she would find this all very amusing in the future, but was too scared for her friends' safety to do so now.

Cyborg used the bus to support himself as he rose to his feet. "Hey, are you guys—WHOOAA!" The bus was lifted upwards, and Cyborg fell flat on his face. Raven tugged on his arm trying to get him to stand. He looked up to see a large, hairy teen lifting up the bus. The boy grinned at them.

"Crap," Raven whispered.

CHOOUUUM! (A/N: I just love my onomatopoeias, don't I?)

The bus slammed down on Raven and Cyborg, and Mammoth dusted off his hands, with a satisfied look on his face. Gizmo landed next to him.

"Jeez, what a bunch of pathetic losers," Gizmo sneered. "This is almost no fun." He grinned maliciously. "Almost." Jinx came running up.

"Did we beat them already?" she asked, looking almost disappointed. "I wanted to see if that Raven chick is really all she's cracked up to be…and that Cyborg guy was kind of cute…"

Beast Boy looked a bit miffed. "What about me?"

"You haven't beaten us yet!" Robin yelled, scrambling to his feet. Beast Boy stuck his head out of the trash can.

"Yeah! We aren't that weak! We'll kick your asses!"

"Yes, we shall go…bronze age on your rears!" Starfire added. Beast Boy tripped getting out of the trash can.

"Once again, my heroic momentum is shot dead," he muttered. The HIVE students snickered.

"'Bronze age on your rears'…" Gizmo laughed. "I've gotta write that down. That's Master Card priceless."

"I hope your witty banter isn't your strong point," Jinx chuckled. "This is gonna be _so _easy…"

"You think so, huh?" Robin said.

"I already squashed your buddies over there," Mammoth grunted. "So yeah, I think so." He paused. The light around him had changed. He looked down to see a shadow cast over him. He and the other two turned to see Cyborg lifting the bus over his head, Raven standing next to him.

"Think again." Cyborg tossed the bus at them, and they dashed out of the way. Robin seized the opportunity.

"Titans! GO!"

Robin delivered a dropkick to Mammoth's head, followed by Cyborg elbowing him in the back. Raven leapt at Jinx, and the two began trading blows—magical and otherwise. Starfire darted around after the airborne Gizmo, and Beast Boy transformed into a hawk, attempting to cut the miniature MacGyver off.

"You fight like a boy," Jinx scoffed, blocking another one of Raven's punches.

"Where'd you get your hairstyle?" Raven snorted, dodging Jinx's spinning kick. "'Moose Fashion Weekly'?"

"At least I _have_ style," the horn-haired sorceress growled. "What is that _cloak_, it's _atrocious_."

"_Don't _diss the cloak," Raven said dangerously. She aimed a kick at Jinx's feet, but Jinx jumped up and did another spinning kick, this time successfully knocking Raven down.

Mammoth threw Robin a good twenty feet and blocked an oncoming assault from Cyborg. He locked the mechanical man's hands in his.

"Ya know…you aren't too bright," Mammoth said.

"_I'm _not bright?" Cyborg laughed. "Well, since I'm talking to Einstein…" Mammoth snickered.

"At least I know when I've got a rocket stuck to my back."

"Cyborg, watch it!" Beast Boy yelled. Cyborg looked over his shoulder to find Gizmo finishing welding a rocket to his back. He pressed a button, and the rocket ignited. Cyborg's eyes widened.

"HEY!"

"So long, Flyboy!" Mammoth laughed, letting go of Cyborg's hands; the Titan went shooting into the sky, Starfire tailing him in an attempt to help.

Robin got up and looked around: Jinx was tearing into Raven, and Beast Boy was just trying to avoid death at the hands of Gizmo and Mammoth. Things did not bold well for the Titans. He had to help them _somehow_...

"HEY, MIDGET!" Robin screamed. Gizmo stopped dead.

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME, BIRD-BOY!"

"I called you midget, half-pint! Man, I thought _I _was short! I bet I know what you want for your birthday: A booster seat!"

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT, COME OVER HERE AND SAY THAT!" Gizmo yelled, a vein beginning to pulse at his temple.

"Ignore 'im, Giz," Mammoth said. "We'll get him after we take care of grass-boy." He gestured in Beast Boy's direction.

"WHAT, YA _SCARED_!" Robin asked, getting more and more confident by the second. "WHAT WERE YOUR PARENTS, _ANTS_? BET THEY WERE DELIGHTED THAT YOU CAME OUT SO _BIG_! AND WHERE'D YOU GET THAT JUMPSUIT, THE BABY CLOTHES DEPARTMENT!"

"GAAHH! I'LL KILL YOU!" Gizmo shrieked. His backpack sprouted four long, spindly metal legs, and he ran on them towards Robin at an astonishing speed. Robin threw several exploding disks, but Gizmo evaded them. The Boy Wonder was knocked back by a blast from Jinx.

"Gizmo, stop messing around," Jinx berated him. "You can show off you gadgets when we _aren't _doing something serious."

Gizmo was very flustered. "But that bastard called me a—"

"Gizmo. You're SHORT. Get over it. Now is _not _the time, let's just get this over with." She turned to Robin. "Since our resident masked man is such a _distraction_, let's get rid of him, shall we? Attack Pattern Alpha?"

"Sounds good to me," he said, cracking his knuckles. Mammoth, who was at that time busy grinding Beast Boy's nose in the ground with on hand while strangling Raven in the other, looked up.

"Huh?"

Gizmo sighed. "Up and at 'em Mammoth, we're gonna kill bird-boy."

"Oh," he said, dropping Raven on top of Beast Boy. "Sweeeet."

Robin got up, feeling a bit less capable now that his only available teammates were lying on the ground, motionless—thus making them somewhat unavailable. 'Just chill, Robin. You've just gotta get past those three and get to Rae and BB… Don't worry… Just like Bats always says: Eye of the tiger, Robin, eye of the tiger.'

"Attack Pattern Alpha!" Jinx yelled, running at him, sending blasts left and right. Things exploded and flew all over the place, making Robin dash around avoiding them. Mammoth burst through the chaos and took a swing at him, but he jumped as high as he could to avoid the attack. Instead of jumping up after him, Mammoth back-flipped; Robin saw the reason for it in the 15 missiles that Gizmo sent his way.

He barely had time to even think "shit" before the ground exploded beneath him and sent him hurdling into the sewers.

Raven lifted her throbbing head off the pavement, angry at being kicked around and dropped like a rag doll. She then realized that she had been dropped on something soft. Looking down, she saw a grumbling, half-conscious Beast Boy, whose arm was bent at an unusual angle. She groaned and got to her feet. One is forced only to imagine the expression of horror that graced her features when she saw that the HIVE students had made short work of her leader.

"Soooo…what's left, boys? I suppose it would be prudent to dispose of these two over here," Jinx mused. "I mean, Slade said we should take them _all _out, right?"

"Mmm," Mammoth grunted in agreement. Gizmo seemed somewhat disappointed that their "fun" had to end so soon.

"Can we drag it out? Just a bit?" he begged.

"Christ, Gizmo, I can see why the teachers liked you so much," Jinx said. "You're such a friggin' sadist."

He shrugged. "You like hanging out at clubs. I like beating the crap out of people."

"When you can."

"Shut it, let's kill these guys."

"Don't count on it," Raven whispered. Ebony tendrils unfurled beneath her, enveloping her and Beast Boy. The glowing black form became a bird which rose off the ground and flew off into the sky. Gizmo revved up his jetpack for pursuit, but Jinx grabbed his shoulder.

"C'mon, we gotta catch those guys!" he yelled at her. Jinx sighed, smiled, and shook her head.

"They're already beat, my vertically-challenged friend. They're alone, injured, and without a leader."

"But we're supposed to kill them," Mammoth said, looking confused. Still smiling, Jinx began walking in the direction that the bird had gone.

"We know where they are. We have all the time in the world."

* * *

"Beast Boy…Beast Boy…c'mon, wake up…don't make me get out a bucket of water…" 

Beast Boy knew the owner of the voice that was talking to him, though he couldn't quite place them. He was trying to remember what had happened, but all he could really remember was someone rubbing his face in the dirt. Not exactly helpful. He groaned and tried to get up, supporting himself with his right arm.

Big mistake.

"GAH!" He fell back down, gripping his arm, writhing in pain. His eyes were now open and were resting on Raven.

"That hurt?" she asked.

"What tipped you off?"

"I think it might be broken."

"Gee, it would've been _swell_ to have known that _before _trying to useit."

"Just had to be sure."

"And, as usual, there are less painful ways; but you enjoy it, don't you?"

"A small part of me does. But I was raised pacifist, so not really."

"_You're _a pacifist?"

"_Raised_ pacifist. Big difference."

Beast Boy snorted. "I can imagine. Jeez, trying to raise _you _pacifist…your parents must've had their hands full."

Raven shot him an icy glare. "Don't go on about crap you don't understand. Give me your arm." He held up his arm and she put her hands on it. He winced, but she didn't seem to notice. A soft blue light surrounded his arm, and after a few seconds, died down. He flexed it and found there was no more pain.

"I forgot you could do that," he said, grinning. "Good as new." His happy expression vanished when he noticed how drained she looked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…I just…it was a little…more than I'm used to." Her eyelids drooped, and he put his hands on her shoulders.

"You sure?"

"Yeah…just…gimme a minute."

"I don't get it, Rae. You were fine last time, and that was a bullet wound."

Her eyes closed completely, but her head remained up. "It's easier to heal myself because I've already got my natural factor working."

"So you heal yourself automatically most of the time?"

"Most times."

"Man, I wish I could do that. I can't really morph when I'm injured. All the changing organs and moving bones is really complicated, and just one cut can really mess me up."

"That sucks…is there somewhere I can sit down?"

Beast Boy looked around; he hadn't even realized that they were back in the Tower. "Uhh…sure." He led her to the couch. She sat and let her head hang, her breathing slow. "Are you sure you're okay? I mean, you really look—"

"Robin's gone."

Beast Boy's eyes widened. "W-what?"

"I don't know if he's…alive or not…but I'll wager he won't be…much help to us. Cyborg and Starfire are probably halfway to Gotham by now."

"Yeah, I know that," he said, recalling the events. "Raven, what are we gonna do?"

Raven shifted her position, laying her head on the couch. She opened one eye, and aimed it at him. "Wait it out."

"How can you say that? We're no doubt in imminent danger, Star and Cy are miles away, and we don't even know if Robin's… We can't just sit here."

"Our danger would be much less imminent if we stay here. And Starfire can fly fast—she will catch Cyborg, if she hasn't already. And though I'm a pessimist, I'm not quite willing to sell Robin so short…not yet." Almost as if on cue, the doors to the Tower opened to reveal two tall figures.

"Man, that was nuts!" Cyborg laughed. "I could see the Wayne Enterprises building by the time Star got that thing off my back!"

"Yes, catching him was…quite trying," Starfire agreed. "Friends, why do you bear such grim expressions?"

"Yeah, and where's Rob? Ordering victory pizza? So? How'd you guys do it?"

Beast Boy looked dumbfounded. "Do what?"

"Oh come on, Star and I checked back where you guys were fighting. It was empty! You guys kicked ass, right?" He stared at his two teammates. Beast Boy's eyes were fearful, and Raven looked exhausted.

"Friends…?" Starfire whispered.

"Come on! How'd you beat them? I've gotta have the play-by-play!" Cyborg looked a little frantic.

"Dude…" the green changeling muttered. "We didn't kick _anybody's_ ass. We got _our_ asses kicked."

"Where is Robin?" Starfire asked.

"…Dunno…" Raven murmured.

"What did you say!"

"She doesn't _know_, Star," Beast Boy said softly. "Neither of us does."

Cyborg sat down. Hard. "Those bastards…they got him, didn't they?"

"We don't know, really. He just fell, and…I don't remember."

The mechanical man grabbed the smaller boy by the shoulders. "You don't _remember_? How do you not—"

"He was barely conscious," Raven said. "He was hurt, Robin was toast, and I panicked. If anything, this is my fault."

"Toast?" Starfire asked. "What is this toast Robin has become? How can you not know where he is?"

"Star…"

"NO! People do not simply _vanish_, so he must be somewhere, so go there and look!"

"Chill, Star!" Beast Boy interrupted. "This is _Robin_. He's the 'Boy Wonder', right? I'm sure he's fine, so you can—"

"Shit," Raven whispered.

"What?" His ears perked up, and his face turned a much paler shade of green. "Oh no."

"Everybody get do—"

BOOOOOM!

The door of the Tower burst into pieces, flying everywhere. Raven produced a shield around herself, Cyborg covered Starfire, and Beast Boy turned into a turtle. When the smoke cleared, they all came out of hiding to see three silhouettes in what remained of their entrance.

"The mat said 'welcome', so we thought we'd just let ourselves in," Jinx said.

"Oh, you're welcome," Cyborg growled. "Welcome to an ass-kicking! Titans, GO!"

Almost instantly, the other three Titans ran in opposite directions from each other, except for Starfire, who seemed to be going in Raven's direction. Cyborg stood looking a little embarrassed before running off too.

"So much for teamwork," Jinx snorted. "Gizmo, take metal man. Mammoth, you've got the girls."

"Heheheheh…sounds good," Mammoth chuckled, heading up the stairs.

"What about you?" Gizmo asked.

"Me?" Jinx grinned mischievously. "I'm gonna wrangle me a beast."

"You really should've gone on your own," Raven said, locking the door behind her and Starfire.

"But you are fatigued!" the stubborn alien protested. "You may need assistance."

"My exhaustion wore off five minutes ago. I'm fine."

"…Oh."

"You should get out and ambush one of them. There are four of us, three of them."

"Yes, I shall—EEEEK!" Mammoth's head was rammed through the wall, grinning maliciously.

"Hello, ladies," he said.

"Starfire?" Raven said. "Punching bag?"

"Punching bag," she agreed. Her and Raven drew back their fists and hit Mammoth with everything they had.

"Here, pretty kitty," Jinx called. The green tiger that was Beast Boy was running down the hall away from her—more specifically the explosions that were occurring every time she took a step. "Whassamatter? Afraid of a little bad luck?"

Beast Boy took another few steps and spun around. He was preparing to pounce on the sorceress, but the ceiling crumbled above him, fell, and smacked him on the head. The shape-shifter dropped like a sack of potatoes, morphing back into his human form on the way down. Jinx snickered, grabbed him by his leg, and began dragging his limp form down the hall.

Cyborg locked the door to the storage room, panting. 'This is insane,' he thought. 'This is _our _house, and _we're _on the defensive. I wish I'd finished those communicators...' He heard banging on the door.

"Heeeeyyy, tin-man!" Gizmo cackled from outside. "Jeez, are you _that _much of a coward? Hiding in some dusty room from me, a guy a sixth your size?"

'Don't let 'im get to you, Cy,' Cyborg thought. 'Keep cool.'

"I'm sorry you couldn't see us toast bird boy. It was great, you should've seen the look on his face. That little bastard had it coming, he—"

'Don't...snap. That's what he _wants_. Robin's fine; this little ass-wipe is just trying to get under your skin. Hey…why'd he stop talking?' The door opened, and a shocked Cyborg backed away from it. Gizmo stuck his head in.

"Heeeere's Gizmo."

Cyborg threw a punch at Gizmo, but he simply moved over the Titan's head using the long, spider-like legs protruding from his backpack. Once over Cyborg, he withdrew the legs and dropped onto his opponent's back.

"Hey! Get off my back, dammit!" Cyborg yelled.

"Second time today," Gizmo muttered. "One would _assume _you had the brains to put your guard up." He took out one of his arsenal of tools. "Now, let's see if you have a heart under all that outdated crap-tech."

"You little—ARE YOU HACKING ME! YOU ARE _NOT _HACKING ME! YOU LITTLE BAST—AHH! MY ARM!"

Cyborg's arm popped off and fell to the floor. He stood there for a few seconds, simply gaping at his now-useless appendage. Gizmo grinned.

"Ejector arm. Bet that really gets the ladies."

"You bastard! HEY! DON'T TOUCH THAT! SOMEBODY GET THIS LITTLE CRETIN OFF ME! I HAVE BEEN _VIOLATED_!"

Beast Boy woke up underwater. He was flailing his arms all around in a panic before he realized the obvious: 'Chill, BB. You're an animal shape-shifter,' he thought. 'Besides, you can swim.' His head broke the surface of the ocean and he looked up at Titan's Tower. 'How the hell did I get down here? Dammit, I keep waking up not knowing how I got there! Stupid short-term memory, I always—' His thoughts were cut short by the sound of breaking glass, two high-pitched screams, and a splash. Raven and Starfire surfaced, seething.

"That _shorkmelp_!" Starfire ranted, shaking her fist in a rage. "I shall _markel_ him before he can say '_poonkag_'!"

Beast Boy turned to Raven. "Do you have _any _idea what she just—"

"No," Raven said. "But I think I agree with her."

"So, who got you?"

"The Neanderthal. You?"

"The pink-haired one, I think."

"Where's Cyb—"

"AAAAAHHH!" SPLASH!

"Does that answer your question?" Beast Boy asked.

"I suppose it does," Raven grumbled.

Cyborg came up gasping for air. "Help!" was all he got out before slipping back under.

"Can he swim?" Beast Boy asked.

"Damn," Raven muttered. Her green teammate sighed, morphed into a dolphin, and dove under to save their friend. Cyborg surfaced clinging to Beast Boy.

"That…midget…" he gasped.

"You okay?"

"He took my arm! He ejected my goddamn right arm!"

"So _that's _why you couldn't swim."

"Yeah, though I can't exactly swim like a fish normally. I sink like a rock."

"Umm…friends?" Starfire asked.

"What?" Raven asked without even looking.

"I believe that that large mass of water will be quite painful when it reaches us." She pointed to the ten-foot wave heading towards them. Beast Boy's ears drooped.

"Ahh, crap."

The Titans washed up on shore not long after the wave crashed, all bruised and beaten. Cyborg had bits of sand stuck in his circuits and was not at all happy about it. He crawled up the deserted beach and sat near the top of the hill. He was joined moments later by the other Titans; Starfire flopped facedown on the sand, Beast Boy sat twirling his fingers in the sand, and Raven slumped up against her mechanical friend.

Cyborg sighed. His index finger converted into a blowtorch which he used to work on some of the damaged circuits in his leg. Starfire watched for a few minutes, and then sat up.

"Perhaps I could be of some assistance," she said softly. "The intensity of my starbolt can—"

"I've got it," he said, cutting her off.

"But—"

"I've got it, OK!"

"Chill, man," Beast Boy said. "She's just trying to—"

"Look, I've been beaten up, hacked into, made left-handed, and kicked out of my house, and I ain't feelin' too cool about it!"

"So? That doesn't give you the excuse to be mean!"

"Just…quit it, would ya?" Raven muttered. "This situation already sucks enough, you two don't need to make it worse with your inane babbling."

"Jeez, Raven!" Cyborg yelled. "Don't you get it? It's over! We're friggin' screwed!"

"That doesn't mean you can—"

"STOP IT!" Beast Boy screamed. Everybody stopped and stared at him. "God, will you guys cut it out? This is _bullshit_! We've been beaten once and now all of the sudden it's the end of the fucking world! I'm not gonna stand by and let a muscle-head, a midget, and some bitch who can make you trip—"

"—A lot," Raven pointed out.

"And the 'muscle-head' of which you speak is quite formidable," Starfire added.

"And that midget hacked my system," Cyborg finished.

"So!" he yelled. Now everyone was in a shocked silence. "Who are they? THEY'RE FRICKIN' _NOBODIES_! WE CAN TAKE THEM! WE WON'T—NO, WE _CAN'T _GIVE UP!"

"Whoa…BB…"

"FREAKIN' A, MAN!" Beast Boy yelled, collapsing in a panting heap.

"Well then," Raven muttered, grinning. "Where do we start?"

"You can start," a familiar voice said. "by telling me what I missed."

All of the Titans spun around, not daring to believe their ears. But they were right: It was Robin, standing on shore. His hair was wet, one of his gloves was missing, and he was covered in some form of slime. He wiped a bit of it off his face and smiled. The other Titans smiled, too.

"Well," Cyborg said. "The cliff-notes version of it is that we got our asses kicked in our own home, I lost my arm, and BB gained a lot of spunk." He ruffled Beast Boy's hair. "How 'bout you?"

"I swam in the sewers for a few hours…not much else. Unless you'd rather I go into detail—"

"I can live without them, thanks. So, got a plan?"

"Yeah."

"Is it a good one?"

He shrugged. "I guess we'll see."

* * *

Gizmo was taking a lot of pleasure in the possession of Cyborg's arm. He was using one of his tools to control it, making it do all sorts of things, such as arm and thumb wrestling, waving, and flipping Jinx the bird behind her back. Mammoth came up behind him and watched him arm wrestle it. 

"Jinx is right," Mammoth said, shaking his head. "You _are _a sadist."

"Proud of it, buddy," Gizmo said happily, letting himself win again.

Jinx came down the stairs into the living room. "Man, I can't believe it." She held up one of Raven's blue cloaks. "She has like, four of these things…I bet it looks better on me." She fastened the cloak around her and faced the boys. "How do I look?"

"Good," Mammoth said.

"Looks better on that Raven chick," Gizmo said, somewhat distracted by the mechanical arm. Jinx walked over and grabbed the arm and held it above his head as he jumped at it. "Give it back!"

"Now that we've kicked the Titans out, we should contact Slade," she said. Gizmo crossed his arms indignantly.

"Fine, we'll call him. Now give it back!"

"All right, but you can't play with it anymore. Don't think I didn't see you flipping me off." She handed the arm back to him, and he begrudgingly put it on the table near the computer.

"Hey," Mammoth said, pointing at the open refrigerator. "Look at all this mold!" While the other two went over to examine what he was pointing at, the tip of the middle finger of Cyborg's hand detached from the finger and turned outwards, revealing a tiny camera. It focused and looked around the room, apparently making not of the three teens currently mystified with the spoiled contents of the Tower's fridge.

Using the other three fingers and thumb as makeshift legs, the arm scuttled up to the computer where it leaned on the stump of the arm. It used its fingers to type on the keys.

**527177**

**CODE ACCEPTED**

**TOWER SECURITY OVERRIDE INITIATED**

All of the lights in the Tower turned red and began flashing, and alarms blared everywhere. The trio of HIVE students looked around frantically for the source of this new development. Gizmo ran over to the computer, where he found Cyborg's arm standing straight up on its stump. He goggled at it as the finger camera looked at him. The camera then retracted into the finger, and all the fingers curled up into a fist—except the middle one.

"You son of a—" Gizmo began, but he was cut off by the starbolts that knocked him and Mammoth into the elevator, which then ascended. Huge black talons came from the ceiling, scooped up Jinx, and melted back into the ceiling.

The elevator deposited Gizmo and Mammoth on the roof, as did the talons carrying Jinx. The possessor of the talons, a large black bird, landed near the Titans and resumed her natural form. Cyborg's arm came running out of one of the roof vents, and Cyborg picked it up and reattached it to his shoulder. The three villains stood to face the Titans.

"I thought we got rid of you," Jinx sighed. "I guess some people never learn…Attack Pattern Al—"

"Not this time!" Robin yelled. "Titans, GO!"

Giving the HIVE students no time to get organized, the Titans leapt at them. Cyborg took a swipe at Jinx, but she evaded it. With a loud clunk, Gizmo landed on Cyborg's back and took out his tools.

"Ready for a checkup?" he laughed.

"No," Cyborg said. He pressed a button on his arm, and a massive electric shock jolted Gizmo off of him and to the ground, where he sat in a daze. Cyborg picked him up by his collar. "I'll bet you're _shocked_."

Jinx would've been helping her teammate, had she not been occupied with her own fight. Beast Boy darted around her, changing forms frequently to keep her on her toes. She kept throwing blasts at him, but he just wouldn't stay still. He morphed into a small monkey and jumped on her head, latching herself onto her face. She flailed all around and finally gripped him by his legs and threw him up in the air. Only when she looked down and saw his shadow over hers getting bigger did she realize her mistake. A split second later, she was under a huge green grizzly bear, groaning.

Mammoth lunged at Raven, but she floated out of the way of his attack with ease. Starfire flew down from her place in the sky and gave him the old one-two punch—which, from a Tamaranian, is much more forceful than usual. Mammoth was flung backwards…right into Robin's awaiting fist.

CRACK!

Mammoth let out one last grunt and dropped to the ground. Robin dusted off his hands and looked at the others.

"Everyone all right?" Robin asked.

"Yep," Raven said.

"_I'm _fine, but I think I may have cracked hex-girl's rib over here," Beast Boy said, jerking his thumb at the immobile Jinx.

"I am well, Robin," Starfire said.

"I'm good too," Cyborg said. "And I was just having a chat with our new buddy here." He tugged a bit on Gizmo's collar. "He was just about to explain _why_ he and his jackass friends attacked us."

"Do tell," Robin said, stepping forward.

"D-damn…" Gizmo muttered. "Slade's gonna fucking kill us."

Robin reached out and grabbed him out of Cyborg's grip. "Who is Slade?"

"Psst. Like I'll tell you. Anything you could do to me is nothing compared to what the HIVE's gonna do to us when they realized we didn't sell."

"Sell? Whaddya mean 'sell'?"

"None of your damn business. I'm not gonna say anything, so could you just hand us over to the cops?"

Robin snarled at Gizmo, but the boy's blank expression didn't change. He dropped Gizmo. "Fine…Raven, could you—?"

"Sure," she said. A large pair of black wings emerged around Jinx, Gizmo and Mammoth. They were sucked into the swirling black vortex under Raven. Raven silently changed into her soul form and flew in the direction of the city.

* * *

"The students are being picked up as we speak by the HIVE," the woman said. She looked embarrassed, to say the least. Her gaze returned to the man on the catwalk. "Failure on such missions is not typical of HIVE students—" 

"I'm not going to be talking prices, if that's what your wondering," the man on the catwalk said. He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it, sticking it in one of the holes in the front of his mask. "I am…disinterested in your team's services. Or any other services from your association, for that matter."

"But Slade—"

"But NOTHING! I will have no more dealings with the HIVE unless they are beneficial to both the HIVE _and _me, and we've seen how well that's been going, haven't we?"

"Slade…"

He chuckled. "It doesn't matter, really. I've gotten what I want from your organization. The only real reason I wanted to 'test' your students was to deliver a message."

"W…what?"

"And your students passed _that _test with flying colors!" He gestured to the screen. Robin's face appeared on it. The tape played, over and over again, and Robin only said one thing:

_"Who is Slade?"_

_

* * *

_"OH MY GOD! NOOO!"

"What is it, BB?" Cyborg asked.

"They…they ALPHABETIZED MY TUNES…BY _ARTIST_."

Raven looked up from her copy of _Neverwhere._ "…Isn't that the way one _normally_ alphabetizes CDs?"

"Hell no! _I _alphabetize them by the first letter of the first song on them!"

Raven stared at him. "You will never cease to confound me, Beast Boy."

"LOOK AT THIS! THIRD EYE BLIND IS NEXT TO THREE DOORS DOWN! MARILYN MANSON IS NEXT TO MAROON 5! THE DIXIE CHICKS ARE NEXT TO EVANESCENCE! OH, THE MADNESS, THE CARNAGE, THE…hey, wait a second! We don't have an Evanescence CD!"

"Err…yes we do," Cyborg said. He turned to Raven. "Those bastards must've found it…I said I would buy you the CD, right?"

Raven smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Robin plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. The other Titans sat down next to him.

"So…guess we ain't tryin' to find Slade?" Cyborg asked.

"Nah, we can do that later. Let's find a movie."

"Action of the adventure?" Starfire suggested.

"Please, no," Cyborg pleaded. "Our _lives _are an action-adventure movie."

"Without Angelina Jolie, too," Beast Boy added. "Life sucks."

"Hey guys…" Robin said slyly. "I found something that I bet you'd like. Especially you, Raven."

"Oh?" Raven asked, somewhat curious.

"Yep. TNT is playing _Raiders of the Lost __Ark_."

* * *

**********Blowfish: Ha, thought I'd end this chap with a little joke. Anyway, I hope you guys don't hate me for taking a two-month break. I had lots of fun writing this chapter, and man was it long! No preview this time, though. It's late, and I have to get up early tomorrow. (yawns) So remember…REVIEW! Seeya!**


	8. Sisters

**IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING AUTHOR'S NOTE.**

**Blowfish: No doubt most of you are aware; this site is cracking down on songfics…for no apparent reason. It really pisses me off, as this chapter was to contain songs, and a future chapter of "Heroes" was to be a song-based chapter. Also, I actually have a songfic. They're threatening account closure, so I may not be seeing you guys here again anytime soon. But if you click my profile, you'll see that I have opened a Media Miner account, where I will be continuing my stories. Most of my fics are up there right now. Of course, if I lay off the songs, they may lay off me. But then again, Galaxy Girl's Zelda musical was deleted months after the script ban…**

**TtitansFan: Thanks, I like how that came out myself. Damn straight, someone needs to flip that bastard off. Lil' midget gets so much screen time over cooler characters, like Jinx or Dr. Light (OK, he's not really cool…just damn funny, unlike Gizmo, who's annoying as hell). If you want to get on the Main Oekaki at then you have to submit a URL address that links to a picture you have put on the net. I would recommend going to Neon Dragon Art, which has a free-range, easy registration oekaki board. After you've posted your picture, click on it (this will take you to a separate page with only you picture on it—which is VERY IMPORTANT), and copy/paste the URL on the registration page. Worked for me, so I hope it works for you!**

**Grumbumble: Exactly what I was aiming for. I really want to keep the episodes with the same basic plot just with my own spin—along with more than a little homage to the comics. Glad I'm doing Starfire OK in this story. Her character is kind of a pain to write sometimes (especially when I'm feeling down). You like MY BB better? Wow. That's pretty cool. I like him just fine in the show, but he just can't be used for dramatic stuff a lot (in my opinion, it's his VA—Greg Cripes' BB voice kills all drama; that was somewhat of my little inside joke when he said "my heroic momentum is shot dead"). Forgive me, but he is a tad more…BB-ish in this chapter.**

**I am writing the dialogue with a "harder edge", as you put it, intentionally. The fact is I want to get more into the "teen" part of Teen Titans. They're thrown into intense situations (standoffs, train wrecks, superhuman brawls, just to name a few) that would probably be easier handled by adults, so I would think there would be a bit more angst. Not an overwhelming amount, but enough. I can't help but think sometimes that there should be more serious eps like "Haunted" and "Birthmark"—not that I don't like the generally "WTF!" eps like "Employee of the Month" and "Fractured" (both of which I am still questioning as to whether the writers were at least a LITTLE stoned), I just think that superhero-ing is serious business.**

**scathac's warrior: Glad you liked it. There won't be ANY real romance (hints don't count) for a while, especially that of the Raven genre. Sorry.**

**sugarpony: Ha, I'll be laying off the FMA references from now on, I think. (I seriously need to catch up on that show…should borrow my bud's DVDs.) Can't update your fanfic? That DOES suck.**

**Xyteron: Good, that's BB's job!**

**BB: I'm not your monkey! (sneezes and changes into a monkey)**

**HIVE banter is fun…so is the word "banter". Banter, banter, banter, banter…**

**Lee: Wow. Not much higher praise than that—not to me, anyway. Spiking 200 reviews, huh? (glances at her "Heroes" story, which has reached a whopping 257 reviews) Heh…hope it's just a really good one. Really hope you like this chapter as much as the last!**

**TDG3RD: Excellent, that's what I was shooting for. Enjoy the new chapter!**

**The Foolish Immortal: Glad you're into this sort of thing. I've actually never seen RotLA (you probably just decided to kill me, didn't you?), so actually, I was going pretty blindly. Angelina Jolie was just the first good-looking female celebrity that came to mind—I was just trying to think of who BB would like to be in a movie with, the scoundrel.**

**Just Saying: OK…I am going to say this in the most polite manner possible. This is not "Fairy Tale." If you have something to say or complain about that pertains to "Fairy Tale," say it IN A REVIEW TO "FAIRY TALE." Do not drag it into this review unless you actually have something to say about this story. Thank you.**

**Jamer the Titan: I'm really glad you like it, it was great to hear from a fellow TT fan/author on seem rather small in comparison to some other fandoms on the site. (On we're pretty huge.) As for the eye beam thing, that was entirely intentional. Covering "Transformation" doesn't really fit in to what I have planned in this story (it's not, for instance, an arc episode like "Titan Rising"). S'cool that you noticed that though, a few people didn't. Shows you're paying attention. **

**Sapphiriana: There will be fluff added a bit later, don't worry. But this isn't a fluff fic, so I wouldn't be expecting a great deal of it—sparing amounts. Ha, I used to watch Ren and Stimpy with my brother all the time. Wonderfully freaky show.**

**Angel Caida: Believe me; I was not attempting to connect Angelina Jolie to RotLA. As said above, it was pure coincidence. I haven't seen Tomb Raider, either. (Heard a bit of the score, though. Good stuff.)**

**Kai Hagara: Happy you liked it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. I don't really even own the plot. I do, however, own volumes 1 and 2 of the current series of Teen Titans, and am considering being the owner of the 80's "The Terror of Trigon" TPB. The comics rock far more than you think. Also note that the immature, perverted, and all-around damn funny "Raven has a big c—k" joke and the phrase, "Blow the chunks" are property of Kat and Khandri (in that order) from TitansGO.**

**'thinking' _flashback/French/Tamaranean (found out recently I've been spelling it wrong! nn;)/any other alien language_**

**Note: There is much reference to the comics in this chapter. I did this in order to broaden Blackfire's character and reasons for being the way she is. And it makes for a decent fight at the end.**

**Blowfish: So…here's SISTERS! Get out your reading glasses, this is one massive chapter…**

* * *

"Robin, why do you not wish to go to the carnival with us, your friends?" Starfire asked sadly. Robin folded another shirt and put it in the pile of clean laundry. How the Titans had accumulated so much dirty laundry—considering Cyborg had no clothes and everyone else but Robin only had one or two outfits—was a mystery, but Robin was determined to get through this load without succumbing to Starfire's innocent prodding. 

"I don't do carnivals," he said simply. "Bring me a stuffed animal or something, I'm not going."

"But _duuuuuude_," Beast Boy whined. "You _have _to come! They're only in town for this week. Besides, everybody loves carnivals!"

"_I_ don't."

"Who else is going to keep me sane?" Raven asked in her usual dry tone.

"Why are you even going?"

"Hey, these three need someone around so they don't hurt themselves…or anyone else."

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed. "I mean, haven't you learned the number one rule of keeping a green changeling around? You've gotta watch me!"

"Yeah. He breaks things."

"HEY!"

"You're all mature enough to look after yourselves…" Robin paused. "Actually, yeah—Raven, watch Beast Boy, will ya? I'm _not _going."

"Can't guarantee I won't hurt him," she said.

"Cut me some slack, huh?" Beast Boy wailed.

"Come on, Rob," Cyborg coaxed. "There'll be cotton candy, and games, and clowns, and a flying trapeze—"

"I SAID _NO!_"

The room was silent. Robin's fists were shaking now, and he was trying his best to regain his composure. Thoughts from so long ago streamed through his head…

_Two shadowed figures falling…_

_Screams and pointing…_

_The spotlight blinding him, sparing him the final moments…_

"_There's nothing you can do for them, kiddo. I'm…I'm sorry, Ri—"_

"…Robin…?"

Robin let out a deep sigh. Starfire stood behind him, wondering if he had heard her speak. Cyborg and Beast Boy seemed a little put off by their leader's outburst. Raven's eyes were somewhat glazed over, as she was only observing Robin's emotions through her empathy: Anger, grief, fear, and guilt emanated from him in dire amounts. Starfire took a step closer and put her hand on Robin's shoulder. He looked up at her.

"If you do not go to the carnival with us…who shall ride the wheel of Ferris with me?"

Everybody just sat still for a minute or two. Cyborg felt ready to slap his own forehead in frustration. Starfire could plainly not understand that Robin had some sort of issue he needed to work out. It would be best to just leave him be. Beast Boy was somewhat touched by the pleading tone in Starfire's voice. Good intentions aside, Raven thought that Starfire's question was stupid and childish. But suddenly, her empathic radar was picking up something entirely different from the stoic leader.

This was because Robin suddenly found himself grinning. He felt better, for some reason. His hand went up to Starfire's and gently removed it from his shoulder.

"Now what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't escort a lady on her first Ferris wheel ride?"

"_All riiiiight!_" Beast Boy yelled in delight. "Hey Raaaaveeeen…you ever been on a Ferris wheel?"

"He's got a point, Rave," Cyborg said slyly.

"Azar help me…" Raven muttered as the two boys led her out the door. "Damn you, Starfire, damn you."

"Robin! I am elated that you have chosen to come with us!" Starfire squealed. Robin smiled. "Are you…well?" she added.

"I'm fine. I just have…issues with carnivals, is all," he said. "But it's no biggy. I mean, what could happen?"

* * *

"Raven! I won you chicken—a hen!" Beast Boy said proudly, handing Raven the large stuffed animal. She sighed and took it, then examined it further. 

"Beast Boy, this isn't a hen."

"Yes it is, Raven! What else would it be?" Raven gestured to the bright red crest on the animal's head.

"Well it's obviously a giant co—" She covered her mouth hastily and turned a bright shade of red, suddenly realizing the double entendre of epic proportions that she had stumbled upon. Cyborg, who was standing next to her, was flabbergasted. Beast Boy was giggling immaturely. After the first few seconds he was howling.

"HAHAHAHAHAAA! RAVEN…HAHAHAHA! HEY CY, RAVEN'S GOT A BIG CO—"

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Cyborg yelled, clamping his hand over Beast Boy's mouth. Raven's face returned to its normal hue, and she glared at the shape-shifter.

"You're so mature," she muttered sarcastically. 'I envy Robin…Star's so freakin' innocent.' She glanced up to the Ferris wheel. "I wonder how they're making out," she pondered aloud. Beast Boy snickered.

"Oh, I imagine they're well into frenching by now," he laughed.

"BEAST BOY!" both of his friends yelled.

Robin and Starfire were nearing the top of the Ferris wheel, where there was a perfect view of the fireworks show that was being put on. Robin was enjoying a tuft of cotton candy while Starfire eyed him quizzically.

"This candy of cotton…it is edible, yes?"

"Of course!" he laughed, popping a piece in his mouth. "See?"

"Oh…well, the last time I ate a piece of cotton, it was white, it did not taste very good…and I…'blew the chunks', I believe is the Earthly term."

"This is different." He tossed a piece in her open mouth. She chewed at it curiously for a few seconds and gasped.

"It vanished!"

"Yeah," he chuckled. "It'll do that."

"It was very…sweet. Quite pleasurable."

"I used to have it all the time when I was younger."

"Really? Can you buy this candy of cotton at a store?"

"Yeah…but the really good stuff is at the carnival."

"Oh…you have been to the carnival many times?"

Robin paused, looking considerably pensive. "Yeah. I have."

Starfire didn't comment any further on Robin's carnival experiences. She surmised his time there in his childhood was the cause of his "issues" with carnivals. She instead focused on the bright exploding lights in the distance. 'They look just like…'

"_Father?" Koriand'r asked. "What are those bright lights?"_

_Koriand'r's father, Myand'r, came to the balcony with a grave expression. He gazed at the colorful explosions on the darkening horizon. They were Tamaran's advanced warning system. "It is the Gordanians, my child. They have returned…but for what, I cannot say."  
_

"_Will we be safe, Father?"  
_

"_In the castle? Of course," he said softly. "I won't let anything happen to you, Koriand'r. I promise."  
_

"Starfire?"

Starfire snapped to attention. "Yes, Robin?"

He looked concerned. "Are you okay? You were spacing out for a minute there."

"…Spacing out…?"

"You were sort of off in your own little world, thinking about something else," he explained. "You looked sad."

"I was simply thinking of my home planet. They used to have lights like that."

"Tamaran has fireworks?"

"Yes, though we did not call them that."

"Didn't think you guys had that kind of entertainment."

"They were not for our entertainment…they were for our safety. Such lights meant the Gordanians were attacking."

"Oh, those people you guys are at war with?"

"Yes, we—"

Before Starfire could finish her sentence, a gigantic flying bullet-like craft came barreling by them, grabbing the unsuspecting alien with long, metallic tentacles. It shot off just as quickly as it had appeared, a shrieking Starfire in tow. Robin took about five seconds to fully register what had just happened.

"STARFIRE!"

Far below him, Beast Boy's ears perked up. "Star's in trouble!" he yelled, running in the direction of the Ferris wheel. Raven and Cyborg glanced at each other before following him. Robin swung down from the Ferris wheel and took off running ahead of all of them.

Starfire, in the meantime, was terrified. She had absolutely no idea _what _this thing was or _why _it would possibly be interested in kidnapping her. Scarier still was the fact that its tentacles were holding fast against her Tamaranean strength, and it's hull appeared to be impenetrable—she had already made several attempts to melt it with her starbolts.

Looking behind her, she could see the Titans chasing after her. However, they were fast approaching the docks, and from there on out, only Raven and Beast Boy would be able to follow her. Though she could scarcely see past the front part of the craft, she spotted what appeared to be a purple star streaking towards her.

'It _can't _be…'

The purple star flew straight _through_ the craft's hull, grabbed Starfire by her collar, and flew back towards the Titans. Starfire couldn't see who was carrying her, but she did see her abductor explode, its metal shards landing in the water. Moments later, she was dropped on dry land.

"_T'mok no shan'tk mao nortla, Koriand'r._"

Stafire whirled around to come face to face with her raven-haired sister. She was wearing a grin that looked genuinely pleased, yet somewhat smug. The Titans raced over to them.

"Star, are you okay?" Robin asked frantically. Beast Boy stopped dead when he saw Starfire's sister, causing Raven and Cyborg to smack into him and fall over.

"Heelloooooooo there!" Beast Boy said with a feisty grin. He leaned over to Robin. "_Who_ is that red-hot chili pepper?"

"_Komand'r_?" Starfire asked, not daring believe her eyes. "Komand'r" grinned.

"_Ju bow, hal'hk._"

"_Hal'hk_!" Starfire squealed, leaping at her sister, locking her into a hug. Komand'r smiled, came out of the hug, and beat her fist over her heart.

"_X'hal, Koriand'r._"

Robin instantly recognized the girl's last word as the name Starfire had originally introduced herself under. He stood up and promptly introduced himself.

"Err…hi. I'm Robin, leader of the Teen Titans, the team…Koriand'r…is on."

Komand'r cocked her head to the side, looking confused. Robin smacked his forehead.

"Oh yeah…you probably can't speak English, can you? Star, will you—"

"_Je ne suis pas sûr quelle langue vous parlez, monsieur. Pourriez-vous spécifier le dialecte?"_ Komand'r asked, speaking perfect French. Beast Boy's jaw dropped.

"Oh yes!" he yelled. "SHE SPEAKS THE LANGUAGE OF LOOOOOVE!" Raven smacked him.

"What did she just say?" Raven asked.

"'I don't know what language you're speaking, tell me the correct dialect,'" Cyborg translated. The rest of them stared at him. "What? Did the rest of you take German in school, or something?"

"I know six languages," Robin grumbled. "_Including_ French."

"Oh yeah! Booya, upstaged by the CYBORG!"

"Shut up, let me do the talking." He cleared his throat. "_Je parle l'anglais, madame. Vous parlez l'anglais_?"

"Of course," Komand'r said. "Just took me a minute, you know?" She turned to Starfire. "So, little sister, how are you?"

"SISTER?" all the Titans asked simultaneously. Starfire reddened a bit.

"Yes, this is my sister, Komand'r."

"I believe the English translation is something close to…Blackfire," Komand'r said. "If that's easier for you, then you may call me that."

"You never mentioned you had a sister," Robin said warily.

"Oh…I am…sorry I did not mention her," Starfire said, though Robin thought that she wasn't being entirely honest with them. Blackfire laughed.

"I'm sure she was just too busy experiencing culture shock. I stopped in a nearby city before coming here, and I have to say, you Earthlings are…very odd." She pulled from behind her back a stunning green gem that dangled on a gold chain. "Got you a present, Kori."

Starfire gasped. "Oh! A Centauri moon diamond! Where could you have gotten—"

"The Centauri Moons, of course. Where else, silly? I saw it, and I thought of you instantly—matches your eyes." Starfire beamed and hung it around her neck.

"These are my friends," said Starfire, gesturing to the Titans. The boys waved, staring at Blackfire blankly. Raven groaned.

Robin snapped out of the trance quickest. "Name's Robin,"—he stuck his hand out and Blackfire shook it—"but they call me Boy Wonder."

Beast Boy shoved him out of the way and grasped the girl's outstretched hand, wiggling his eyebrows. "The ladies call me Beast Boy."

Cyborg grabbed the elfin boy right off the ground and set him down a few feet away. "I'm Cyborg. Nice to meetcha, little lady." Blackfire shook his hand, and he withdrew, rubbing it. "Little lady…_big _handshake."

Raven sighed and stepped forward, electing not to shake hands. "Forgive them. They're…"

"Males?" Blackfire offered. Raven paused and looked at the other girl, as if sizing her up. Starfire thought about how Raven hadn't even looked at her for the first few days they'd known each other and drooped a little. "Lovely to meet you all. I can see my little sister has been in good hands."

"Soooo…" Beast Boy said, inching closer to Blackfire. "Wanna see our tower?"

"You have a tower?" She glanced at her younger sister. "Born and raised, eh, Kori?"

"Huh?"

"Err…nothing!" Starfire said quickly. "We were merely…brought up in a large building, yes…" Blackfire eyed her sister with a mischievous look, and started speaking to her in their native tongue again. (A/N: I'm going to start translating now, so assume anything they say in all italics is Tamaranean.)

"_Never thought you were one to take up lying, Koriand'r,_" Blackfire said conversationally.

"_I only wish to be 'Starfire' here, Komand'r. Not Pri—_"

"Uhhh…hello?" Beast Boy interrupted. "Ladies? Tower? Se—ow!" Raven smacked him upside the head.

"Yes, let's go," Blackfire agreed. She lifted off the ground gracefully, staring down Starfire the entire time. Starfire watched, stunned.

"Sister! You can…fly…"

"Why wouldn't she be able to?" Raven asked suspiciously. "I was under the impression it was a natural Tamaranean ability."

"It…is. But—"

"I was 'crippled'," Blackfire explained, poison seeping into her tone. "I was 'disabled' from birth…'unfit' by Tamaranean standards. Isn't that right, little sister?"

"I am…happy that you have managed to overcome your—"

"My 'disability'? Isn't that what mother always referred to it as? Couldn't say 'her illness', or 'her defect'. 'She's not _different_, just _special_.'"

Starfire's eyes narrowed. "Do not criticize Mother. She always—"

"Don't try and pretend that our country—our _planet_ didn't look down upon me."

There was a long, intense silence.

Beast Boy looked at them. "Uhh, yeah. So…tower?"

* * *

"Nice place you got here," Blackfire commented, floating into the living room. "Do you guys have something to drink? I'm parched." 

"Hey, I bet you'll like mustard," Cyborg suggested. The alien looked curious.

"Mustard?"

Cyborg threw her the yellow bottle, and she caught it. She licked the top, and her eyes widened.

"It tastes just like _shnark'nf_!"

The mechanical man grinned. "Figured you'd say that. Star's crazy for the stuff, says it's like something on your planet."

"It is." She grabbed a straw from the table and began slurping away. Beast Boy came in, a box under his arm.

"Hey Cyyyyyyyyy…I got Galactic Pilots 4!"

"DUDE! PUT IT IN!" Cyborg yelled ecstatically. He grabbed Blackfire and led her to the couch. "It is our pleasure—"

"—as the dutiful men we are—"

"—to introduce you—"

"—to the amazing, enthralling—"

"—badass, and all-around fucking awesome aspect of life on Earth—" The two then took a large breath and shouted in unison:

"VIDEOGAMES!"

Blackfire paused and clapped lightly. Beast Boy scooted closer to her.

"You wanna sit out the first couple of rounds to watch, or do you want a _crash course_?"

Blackfire grinned in an almost seductive way. "Give me a controller. I'm a quick learner."

* * *

Robin made his way intently down the halls until he came to Starfire's room. He paused with his fist in the air, but then knocked resolutely. 

"Hey, Star? Don't you wanna…come out and spend some time with your sister? I mean, she came all the way to see you, right…? Star?"

Starfire was sprawled across her bed on her stomach, twirling her index finger around on the plush carpet. "Not…particularly," she admitted.

"Why not? I mean, I can see you two have you differences, but she's you _sister_."

Starfire came out of her room and leaned against the door. "Komand'r and I…have never seen eye to eye. She has hated me from the time when we were young."

"She can't have _always _hated you."

"Well…when I was small, we would sometimes play. But when I was eight, and she twelve, she suddenly…hated me."

"Is there any reason why?"

Starfire did not meet Robin's eyes. She knew if she looked at him, she would not be able to lie to him. "I suppose I was too…immature for her. And when I grew older, she became somewhat obsessed with being better than me."

Robin felt as if he wasn't getting the whole truth. "You mean it has nothing to do with--"

"NOOOOOO!" wailed a voice from down the hall.

"Beast Boy!" Starfire cried, flying as quickly as she could down the hall, Robin tailing her. They came into the living room, where they found Beast Boy lying on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling. Blackfire and Cyborg were shamelessly plugging away at the videogame they were playing, though Cyborg seemed much more frantic.

"Beast Boy!" Robin exclaimed, picking the younger boy off the ground. "Are you okay? How many fingers am I holding up?" He held up three fingers.

"She…" was all the stricken green changeling managed to get out.

"'She' isn't a number, man!"

"…She beat me…"

"Somebody has struck you?" Starfire asked, puzzled.

"No…she…she blasted my ship! She actually got me!"

"Friend Robin, I fear our friend is experiencing delirium brought on by severe head injury or—"

"I don't think that's what's wrong, Starfire," Robin said, taking a seat on the couch next to the thrashing Cyborg. "I…I think…"

"SHE GOT ME!" Cyborg howled, clutching his head in his hands disbelievingly. "THIS CAN'T BE! SHE'S NEVER EVEN _PLAYED _VIDEOGAMES BEFORE!"

"Wahoo!" hooted Blackfire, jumping up and doing a victory dance as the blue spaceship on the screen was blasted to pieces by the purple one in the instant replay. "I wooooon, I woooon, I woooo-ooo-ooon!"

"She beat them…in videogames," Robin chuckled. "Now that's something."

"Oh, it's no big deal. It's just like flying a class eight Tamaranean fighter. Nothing too special, really."

"Oh _man_." Robin practically fell over laughing.

At that moment, the door swished open and Raven glided in. She took a moment to observe her surroundings: Beast Boy was lying flat on the ground, drooling mindlessly; Cyborg was curled in a fetal position on the couch muttering ("How can it be?"); Robin was laughing hysterically, tumbling off the couch in the process; Starfire was just standing in the corner, not really saying anything; Blackfire, however, was simply standing in the middle of it all, grinning.

"…I'm not even mad," Raven murmured. "I'm impressed."

"What's that, Rave?" Blackfire asked, putting a hand to her ear.

"We need to go out for coffee. Like…now."

"Oh, OK. Seeya later, little sister," Blackfire called, flying towards the door.

* * *

"Sister?" 

It had been many hours since Starfire had last seen her older sister, and she was searching the Tower for her. She went to the living room, where Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing Galactic Pilots again.

"Beast Boy, Cyborg. Have either of you seen Blackfire?"

"Blackfire?" Beast Boy repeated distractedly. "Naw, not for a while. Cyborg and I are actually practicing—she said she'd play us in a rematch later."

"Yeah, remember how she whooped our asses?" Cyborg added.

"Err…yes," Starfire recalled. "She did indeed 'open a can of the ass-whoop', as I believe you would put it."

"Err…yeeeeaaaahh. Didn't she go to a café with Rae or something?"

"I believe they came back, but I have not been able to locate them. Perhaps they are in Raven's room! I shall seek them there."

The alien floated to Raven's room, and knocked on the door. The door creaked open, revealing half of Raven's hooded face.

"…Yes?"

"Is my sister in there?"

"No." She began to close the door, but Starfire stuck her foot in.

"Raven, may I…err…make a request?"

"What?"

The Tamaranean looked bashful. "Would you like to do the 'hanging out' with me? Perhaps at the depressing café you have become so fond of in these past weeks?"

"Already been with Blackfire. Was open mic, and she wanted to share. Kind of a let down, all the damn younger guys with their crappy wrist-slitting poetry. Blackfire was the only one with any real depth." Raven looked thoughtful. "Your sister's poetry is surprisingly dark." This time the sorceress managed to shut the door quicker than Starfire could react.

Starfire dejectedly made her way downstairs. Perhaps Robin knew where Blackfire was. As she approached the gym, she heard a giggle that she knew belonged her sister and grunts that most likely belonged to Robin. Her eyes widened. They couldn't be…

"Blackfire…this is…"

"Just watch and learn, big guy."

Starfire edged towards the door. A pair of shadows were cast on the wall of the gym. The spiky-haired form moved in, extending its appendages around the other. Starfire gasped and burst into the room just as Blackfire grabbed Robin's arm and threw him over her head and into the wall, where he slid to the ground, dazed.

"Great move for perverted jerks, I've found," Blackfire laughed. "It's intended for enemies who sneak up on you. Learned it from a Ven-Zo master on Tyrus Three."

"Wow," said Robin, rising to his feet. His gaze landed on Starfire, standing in the doorway. "Hey, Starfire."

"Hello," Starfire squeaked. Robin smiled at her.

"Came to train with us?"

"I was simply wondering where my sister had gone,"—she glared to Blackfire—"for she did not tell me where she was off to."

"Aw come on, lil' sis, I can take care of myself," Blackfire laughed. Robin wasn't sure, but he thought there was something almost condescending about that laugh—Starfire seemed to cringe at it. "You can have Boy Wonder if you want, I've got a date with some weights."

"Yes, I hope you enjoy lifting the large metallic objects used for fitness, I must be off, come Robin, perhaps we may find the others upstairs and seek out forms of amusement, such as the watching of the TV, or the playing of the 'Go Fish', or something else I have not yet thought of, yes, goodbye Sister!" She said this all very fast.

"Starfire, what—" Robin managed to grunt before being torn from the gym, dragged along at top speed. They came to a stop at the elevator, which Starfire practically _threw _him into. She mashed the button for the upper floors. Then, she sat down, breathing hard and fast. "Err, Star? You okay?"

She leapt to her feet. "Yes friend Robin, I am as okay as a person who has recently ingested a _florbkar_!"

Robin sent her a puzzled look. "…Yeah. Good. 'Cause you seemed like you were a little, you know…anxious."

"I am wonderful! I am in no way experiencing anything remotely resembling anxiety!" She forced a rather crooked smile.

He sighed. "Right. If you say so." The elevator stopped and they stepped into the hallway. Starfire jumped into the air—and stayed up, floating—as she was struck with an idea.

"Come, Robin, I have just come across a glorious way to pass the time!" She flew off to the main room, Robin running after her. They burst into the room to find their three comrades on the couch (Cyborg was giving Beast Boy a noogie for cheating at Galactic Pilots while Raven teased the unfortunate changeling). "Friends!" The trio ceased their activities. "I wish for you to join me in paying to view!"

There was a short silence, punctuated by Beast Boy. "…What?"

"I think she means she wants to watch a movie on Pay-Per-View," Cyborg put forward. Starfire nodded vigorously.

"Which movie shall we view, friends?" asked the cheery alien.

"Action."

"Comedy."

"Sci-fi."

"Horror."

Starfire's bouncy attitude quickly deflated. This was not going as planned. "Err…"

"_I've _got a better idea." Blackfire slinked over to them. Starfire stared at her. Her sister was wearing _her _clothes. "I heard on my way here that there was a party going on in this city. Cool crowd, hot music. I thought to myself, 'This is the perfect scene for these guys.'"

"Are—are those my—"

"Mine were getting a bit dirty, thought I'd raid your closet. Don't mind, do ya sweetie?"

"Well no, but—"

"Great. So, whaddya say?"

"Sounds great," Robin said, nodding.

Beast Boy morphed into a gorilla and back again. "I'm a party _animal_. I will be in my element."

"Absolutely!" agreed Cyborg.

Raven remained unmoved by her friends' robustness. As if anticipating this, Blackfire casually added, "It's also in a creepy run-down warehouse." Raven's eyes darted up. She snapped her book shut.

"Well alright!" laughed Cyborg, taking this as Raven's sign of surrender. "Let's paaaaaaaaartaaaay! I gotta go get dressed!"

"Get dressed?" Beast Boy said. "Since when do you wear clothes all the time?"

"I'd rather go incognito, that's all."

"Dude, you're six-foot-three and eighty percent of your body is mechanical. Who isn't going to recognize you?"

"Well…it just…feels kinda _wrong_ not wearing pants."

"…Ya know, on second thought, get dressed. I've just realized that you've been completely naked for the past week."

Cyborg laughed. "You'd better get out of the spandex, too. Both of you," he added, looking at Robin.

"The mask stays," their leader grumbled. The other boys and Blackfire let out a whoop of excitement. Raven had already gone to her room to change.

* * *

"Hello, Earthlings! The queen of the galaxy has _arrived_!" Blackfire declared, leading the Titans through the seemingly never-ending mass of people. 

Hip-hop pulsed throughout the warehouse, sweaty teens bumping and grinding to the rhythm below bright, multicolored lights. The Titans had been trying to attract a great deal of attention, but it didn't seem to work. People pointed and whispered, but most of it was directed at Beast Boy and Cyborg, for obvious reasons. ("Hey, it's the elf and the robot!") Raven looked back to see Starfire trailing at the end of their group. She appeared entirely out of place; unlike her friends, who were either completely drawn into the environment—or just didn't care, as with Raven—Starfire tripped and bumped into people, making many apologies along the way. Raven just shook her head and turned her attention to Robin, who was loosening up a bit and dancing with Blackfire. Beast Boy and Cyborg had been quick to attract a pair of bubbly girls to dance with. Raven's gaze went back to Starfire. Still tripping, still stumbling, still apologizing. This was indeed a lost cause. Starfire finally made her way over to Raven and let out a sigh of relief. Her reprieve was short, however—she saw Robin and Blackfire dancing and immediately drooped.

Raven did not take notice of her comrade's depression. "This party is pointless." A boy with dark eye shadow and a mop of dark, greasy hair hanging over his face that had been standing there turned to Raven.

"Everything's pointless. Wanna go talk about it?" Raven glanced at him. He was cute enough. She shrugged and they left together, leaving Starfire by herself. The alien let out another sigh. As if to make her defeat even more stinging, a pair of boys came up to her. They had been eyeing her for a few minutes and figured it was time to take action.

"Hey girl," the first one said. "Ain't you that alien chick from the Titans?"

"Yes," Starfire said hesitantly. She found it hindering that every boy at this club insisted on having his hair hanging so one could not see his eyes. The other one, whose vision was also obscured by his matted hair, crept up around her, cutting off her escape.

"You diggin' the scene?" he asked, a somewhat perverse grin spreading across his features. Starfire was befuddled by his question.

"I was not aware we were supposed to bring shovels," she said slowly.

"…"

"…"

"WHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"AHA! AHA! OH GOD! I CAN'T BREATHE! THAT IS JUST…AHA…TOO MUCH…HAHAHA!"

The two boys stumbled away laughing. Even worse, a few other people had heard the alien's misguided response and began to snicker and snort. People that hadn't even heard her laughed just because it was contagious. Starfire had never felt so embarrassed in her life.

"C'mon Robin, you can dance better than that!" Blackfire yelled over the pounding noise. The Boy Wonder was dancing a bit stiffly, and kept backing off every time Blackfire brushed him—she had been doing it far too many times to be unintentional. His face was flushed, not just from the dancing.

"Eh, haha! I'm just a bit rusty is all, I don't—I don't do this very—AH!" Blackfire had brushed him yet again, and he had jumped almost two feet backwards to avoid her. "You know, Blackfire, I think I'm going to take a break. I'm kinda tired, ya know?"

"What? I can't hear you!" The music had changed and grown much louder.

"I'm gonna take a break!" he shouted, jerking his thumb towards the makeshift tables made of crates. She nodded, looking disappointed. Robin dashed away, feeling relieved to get away from her. Blackfire was very pretty and not lacking in style, but he was definitely not happy with the signals she was sending off. Flirting had been amusing at first, but now it was getting a bit irritating. Robin found the steps to the roof and went out for some fresh air. After a few gasping breaths—he had worn himself out dancing—he turned and saw that he was not alone. "Starfire?"

Starfire jumped, but quickly calmed seeing who had called her. "Oh, hello Robin! How are you?"

He walked over and sat by her, his brow knotted with concern. "I'm fine. But I get the feeling that you're not."

She gave a false smile. "But I _am_! Everything is wonderful. The pounding music and blinding lights are most enjoyable."

"Come on, Starfire."

There was a heavy pause. "Everything is not wonderful. I know I should be happy to see her, but…mine and Blackfire's relationship is not so much as a relationship as a competition. At least that is how she sees it. But she would win anyway. She 'rules' at the videogames, and knows how to write deep, impressive poetry, and knows when people are not talking about shovels! …And I am nothing like her."

Robin smiled. "No, you're not. And I…well I think that's why—"

"Hey, Robin!" Blackfire was floating at the roof entrance. She pointed to her head, which was now adorned with a pink wig. "How do I look?"

"…Pink."

"Great! I got it off a girl downstairs selling them. Wacky things you Earthlings have."

"Yeah, real cool. You know, we were kind of having a conversation—" The beat of the music coming from the warehouse changed to a quicker, brighter one.

"Oooh! This is a great song, isn't it? Come on, let's dance!" She yanked Robin back downstairs.

Starfire sighed. She slumped and let her head roll back, her gaze turning towards the sky. There was a bright light in the distance…coming closer. Starfire squinted. What could possibly...?

'Oh _flinbla_.'

A bullet-like craft, _identical _to the one that had attacked Starfire before, was zooming straight towards her. Starfire panicked. This was definitely the last thing she needed right now. Regardless, the probe shot out its tentacles, and all the alien warrior could do was defend herself. Despite her earlier attempts to attack it with starbolts failing, she could see no other course of action. She also sent several blasts from her eyes, but to no avail. Two more probes arrived, surrounding her. Starfire was in serious trouble.

Below her, Beast Boy and Cyborg were dancing like there was no tomorrow. The former had been cracking jokes about the latter being able to do the robot, earning a stony face from his friend. Beast Boy muttered something like "party pooper" and continued dancing. He looked up briefly at the skylight and did a double-take. "Hey Cy. CY!" Cyborg glared at him. "No, I'm serious! I think something's going on. I think Star's trouble."

"Hm?" Cyborg looked up. "Whoa! Another one of those octopus things is attacking her!"

Beast Boy looked back up. "One? There was more than…" He looked down at his feet. Something metallic was slithering along his foot and wrapping around his ankle. "_Ohhhhhhh crap_."

More tentacles shot out and wrapped around his neck, his arms, and his feet. Beast Boy was dragged into the air and away from his companion—naturally, this caused quite a panic among the civilians. Cyborg ran after Beast Boy, only to be broadsided by the third probe. It slammed into him and sent him sprawling. "Aw, it's gonna be like _that_, huh?" he snarled. "Well that's _fine_, octupussy! BRING IT!"

Raven was sitting in the back of the warehouse, seemingly unaware of the commotion on the dance floor. She was stirring her coffee, and she was beginning to think coming with the greasy-haired boy had been a mistake of epic proportions. Her notion was confirmed by his next question.

"Sooooo…do you like show tunes?"

"Uh…well…" She cringed, rubbing her head. She felt as if she may have an aneurysm if she spent any more time in his company. Luckily, at that precise moment, a craft went by with a certain green changeling in its clutches. Raven had never been so happy to see Beast Boy. "I'll catch you later. Have to go save someone's life." She bolted.

"Call me!" he yelled after her, putting his thumb and pinky by his face.

'Yeah right,' Raven thought, flying after her captive friend. "Time to save your ass yet again, elf. Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Several crates enveloped in dark energy levitated and crashed into the probe, jarring it enough to drop Beast Boy. He landed in a pile of crates. Raven looked over to the now mostly empty dance floor; Cyborg was battling another craft, punching it straight in the hull, which seemed to make it go haywire for a few seconds, but had no real lasting effect. Starfire and her attacker burst into the building through the skylight, and the alien shot it with a few more starbolts.

Beast Boy jumped to his feet as a tiger and gave his enemy a swipe with his paw. One hit from a tiger's paw to the head has enough force to kill a man almost instantly, but the craft barely budged. It slapped the green tiger away with one of its tentacles, and headed over to its more important target; Starfire was now backing away from three approaching probes. Cyborg grabbed one by the tentacles and swung it away from her. "Punch the front of it!" he yelled. "That makes 'em loopy for a few seconds!" Starfire followed his advice—of course, with her alien strength, the probe was knocked across the warehouse rather than just a few feet.

Robin and Blackfire had been in the back, so it had taken them longer to notice that people were running out of the building as fast as humanly possible. Robin knew there was something wrong. "C'mon," he said, taking hold of Blackfire's arm. "There's something going on, I want to see if the others are safe."

"I bet it's nothing," she said casually, as if she hadn't just seen a pair of girls go by her screaming bloody murder. "And if it was, they'd handle it, right? Stay here and talk to me!"

Robin looked at her incredulously. "Your sister could be in trouble. She could—Cyborg!" Cyborg flew through the air and landed right next to them. "Are you okay?"

The mechanical man got up and rubbed his head. "Yeah, but we got a problem. You know that thing that attacked Star that BF saved her from earlier? It had friends."

"You're _joking_."

"Naw, man, we could really use your guys' help. They're tough lil' buggers." He ran back onto the dance floor. Robin started to follow him, but stopped. Blackfire wasn't budging.

"Didn't you hear him? Your sister needs help!"

She seemed to snap out of her trance, and pulled off her pink wig. "Of course! I'm right behind you, Robby." Robin cringed. '_Robby_. Ugh'

Starfire flew outside, guessing it would be much harder to catch her in the open; however, she had flown into an alleyway, meaning the three probes could now focus on her with greater ease. A tentacle shot out and whapped so hard she crashed into the opposite wall and fell into a dumpster. One of the probes closed the lid and sat on it while the other two lifted it into the air. Starfire was screaming relentlessly, but it didn't seem like they heard, or cared.

A pair of birdarangs severed two of the tentacles, causing the dumpster to be dropped on its side. Robin pulled out another one and took a fighting stance. "Titans G—"

Three purple starbolts flew over their heads and hit the probes below their hulls. They exploded, and chunks of machinery went flying everywhere. Blackfire landed next to the remains, looking rather pleased with herself. The Titans were very impressed.

"Ma-a-aaan!" Beast Boy shouted, doing a victory dance. "That was awesome!"

"Yeah," Cyborg agreed. "I've never seen anyone shoot like that!"

"Nice," Raven added, nodding in approval.

Robin looked suspicious. "How did you know where to hit them?"

Blackfire shrugged. "Lucky guess. It's easier to attack a _mortflap's_ underside than its shell, ya know?"

"No," Cyborg conceded. "But we could use a mind like that." He turned to Robin. "I know it's your call, Rob, but you can't deny this girl would make one helluva Titan."

"Yeah!" Beast Boy whooped. "Blackfire the Titan!"

"Wow," she laughed. "Me, a Teen Titan? _That _would be something!"

Starfire, who had only recently crawled out of the dumpster, wore an expression of horror. Her _sister_, a Teen Titan?

* * *

Starfire slid on her backpack, which carried her few possessions. She sighed, remembering how she had entered the tower with it, with all her friends. Now she would be leaving with it, too. She drifted into the air. "Perhaps there really is no place for me here…" 

"Yes there is."

Starfire spun. Robin again. Her shoulders slumped. "Robin, I do not—"

"Starfire. You…you can't just leave. Especially not without saying goodbye."

"I…" She landed on the roof. "I do not belong here. I do not belong anywhere."

He put his hand on her shoulder. "You belong _here_, Starfire. You really, really do."

"Robin, I—" Before she could finish her sentence, a long, green tentacle whipped out and around her. She was dragged screaming onto an aircraft hovering some twenty feet above the tower. A pair of bulky, armored beings stood on it. The one with Starfire in his grasp pulled hard to bring her aboard, but Robin grabbed her foot and was determined to keep her on the roof. With a mighty yank, the armored alien pulled Starfire away from Robin and further towards its ship, which began to move away from the tower.

"STARFIRE!" Robin made a running leap off the tower and towards the ship. His fingers brushed the sole of Starfire's boot before gravity took effect. He fell from her sight as she was brought aboard the aircraft, still screaming like a banshee. Her captor hit her upside the head.

"_Quiet, woman!_" he shouted at her in an alien language; it wasn't Tamaranean, but it was one that she was familiar with—though at the moment, she was too frantic to think of which one. He threw her in a circle in the middle of the ship, and a force field sprang up around her. Starfire blasted it with energy from her eyes, but it did not yield. Her captor turned to his comrade. "_The Tamaranean is secure. We should leave orbit and get back to the main ship as soon as possible._"

"_Yes,_" the other one agreed. He began to work furiously at the control panel, but stopped. "_Cron?_"

"_What?_"

"_What is that?_" he asked, pointing to a small object resembling an anchor or a hook.

"_I don't kn—_"

Robin vaulted to the deck of the ship, and delivered a spinning kick to Cron's head. The alien stumbled backwards, but regained his composure in seconds. "_You are an accomplice for harboring her, and now you dare help her escape? Insolent boy!_"

Robin stared at him with a puzzled expression. "I don't know what you just said, but it doesn't matter." He stepped in front of Starfire. "She stays here."

"_He doesn't speak our language, Cron,_" the other sighed.

"_I understood _him_ well enough. RAAAAAAAHHH!_" Cron swiped at Robin with his large, lobster-like claw, but Robin dodged it and went for the control panel. He pushed the other alien out of the way and crushed it with his bo staff. The force field imprisoning Starfire disappeared, and one of the engines exploded. With only one engine propelling it, the aircraft rocked back and forth before veering off to one side, causing Cron to fall off. Robin kept his balance and grabbed Starfire's arm.

He smiled. "Fly us outta here?" She nodded and they jumped off together. The ship crashed and burst into flames behind them as they slowly descended. Robin's feet dangled until Starfire let go of him and he landed softly on the ground. They had been taken pretty far; they were in the canyon outside the city. Not so far, however, that the other Titans hadn't been able to follow.

"HEY!" Cyborg hollered. He was riding on a large green horse. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah, pretty much!" Robin shouted back. Raven landed next to them. "No one's hurt, don't worry."

"I never worry," she answered stiffly.

Robin's chuckling was cut short by a loud, crunching sound. One of the aliens had climbed out of the wreckage, and he did not seem very happy. But that was nothing compared to the rage Cron, who had found his way to the crash site after landing on the ground, was experiencing. He was panting and his yellow eyes were alight with fury.

"_Cron…this is a simple job. You need to calm down,_" the other alien warned. Cron growled. He reached for his chest plate, and the Titans tensed up. But rather than some dangerous weapon, he held out a very official-looking badge with alien symbols on it. He began to speak in English.

"In the name of the Grand Centauri Empire," he said, with an edge to his voice, "you are all under arrest."

The Titans stared. Beast Boy, now in human form, shifted a bit.

"Uhhh…you can't be the good guys. _We're _the good guys."

"Yes, well you 'good guys' have been harboring a criminal," Cron's partner huffed, pointing to Starfire. "The Tamaranean has committed high crimes throughout the Centauri System: Thievery, attacking Centauri officers, gambling—"

"I have not done any of those things!" Starfire protested. "I have never even _been _to the Centauri Moons!"

"You are a liar and a thief, and you will come with us!" Cron bellowed. "I am losing patience, Tamaranean!"

Robin looked thoughtful. His gaze drifted to the jewel hanging around Starfire's neck. "_You _haven't been to the Centauri Moons…but I know someone who has." Robin took the necklace and threw it to the police. "You've got the wrong girl." Starfire gasped. It was suddenly becoming very clear to her what the purpose of her sister's impromptu visit had been all along. Robin looked over at his shocked teammates. "Where's Blackfire?" he said icily.

"She said she was leaving," said Beast Boy. He looked up. A purple star streaked across the sky. "There!"

"Don't worry, Starfire. She won't get away with this."

Starfire's eyes burned green. "No she will not!"

Blackfire was flying higher into the clouds. If all went according to plan, she would find a Centauri patrol ship parked in the upper atmosphere. With that, she would make her escape. There was just one problem…

"_Are you _going_ somewhere, Sister_?" sneered Starfire. Blackfire turned to face her sister and feigned innocence.

"_Well sis, I really hated leaving without telling you, but you know how terrible I am with goodbyes._"

"_Yes, I am sure you did not have time to see me framed for the crimes you committed_."

Blackfire's sweet smile twisted into a sinister grin. "_Oh, _that_. Too bad, really. I've got a ship to catch._"

"_It will have to wait, I'm afraid,_" Starfire growled, sending eye blasts at her sister. Blackfire flew around them effortlessly.

"_Tsk, tsk, Koriand'r. So quick to violence_."

"_Do not _mock_ me, Sister! What do you have against me? What would make you frame your own kin?_"

Blackfire laughed. But rather than the casual, loving laugh she had been using, this one was filled with hatred. "_What, you ask? An excellent question, with an excellent story to go with it. Where to begin, where to begin… I suppose first we should sit down._" She raised a fist and struck Starfire hard enough to knock her back down to the ground. The elder sister landed next to her, grabbed her sister by the hair and ground her face in the dirt. "_Isn't this _fun,_ Kori? Just like old times!_"

"_Get…off me…you clor—_"

Blackfire gasped and slammed her sister's head into the ground. "_Oh! Naughty little sister, cursing her betters! You should know better, after how our parents taught us—OH! Yes, that reminds me, I was going to tell you why I despise you so. Listen, will you?_" She turned Starfire's head so her ear was facing upwards and continued to talk.

"_You see, once there was a little girl named Komand'r. She was beautiful and smart, and everybody would have been so happy when she was born, except that was the day Tamaran, her home planet, was attacked by the vicious Gordanians. Much blood was spilled on that day, and many said it was because of Komand'r, that she was a cursed child. All bosh, if you ask me. But then, her parents, the Grand Ruler of Tamaran and his wife, the queen, found out that their little daughter was indeed cursed—she could not fly, and that was the most cherished ability that all her people shared, all but her. They tried everything, but nothing worked, so they gave up. They knew that because she was 'crippled,' Komand'r could _never_ be a proper ruler, so they resolved their next child would be the heir to the throne._

"_When Komand'r was four, her parents had another child, a girl they named Koriand'r. There were no horrible, costly battles on the day she was born, so throughout the kingdom, everyone rejoiced. Two years later, they also had a son, and they named him Ryand'r. And for a long time, everyone was happy, except Komand'r. She was always a little less happy than everybody else, because while her little sister and brother were flying about the castle while their mother and father praised them, she was always looked down upon. But she loved her brother and sister, so she played with them and taught them all sorts of useful things, always having been the most intelligent of her siblings._

"_But when Komand'r turned twelve, the age at which she would have _normally_ been declared the heir to the throne, she found that her parents intended to pass that honor along to her little sister Koriand'r, who would have normally been the _second_ in line. Komand'r knew what an injustice this was, and that it was by no means her fault. From that day on, she envied her younger sister, and resolved to best her in every field. That would be the only way to seize the crown." _Blackfire's expression hardened. "_But when they trained together, everyone always praised Koriand'r much more, she was always fighting for the 'right reasons,' and Komand'r was just a fool fighting for the 'wrong reasons—_"

Starfire kicked Blackfire off her and went into a fighting stance. "_You only wanted to know how to kill,_" she snarled. Blackfire's eyes were burning purple to mirror Starfire's green flames.

"_Yes, to kill! To kill YOU, sister! I was tired of being denied my birthright!_"

"_That is not my fault!_" she shouted, throwing several starbolts at her sister. Blackfire met them with her own starbolts, and sent a punch at Starfire, stopping right in front of her face. She took advantage of Starfire's confusion to do and upwards kick. It connected with her younger Starfire's chin and her head snapped back. Then Blackfire grabbed her by the wrists and body-slammed her into the ground.

"_I wasn't finished speaking, you know._" The twisted grin was back, and the purple light in her eyes danced wildly. "_The story isn't over. You see, after I couldn't best you in traditional combat, I decided to go for the alternative: The psychological approach. I promised myself I would make you, Mother, Father, and Ryand'r _suffer" Starfire growled and forced Blackfire off of her again.

"_I see. You tried to frame me, to throw me in jail. Now what have you done to them? Or is it enough to shame me?_"

Blackfire laughed. "_This? This is trivial. I would never get revenge by such petty means, oh no. Mine was a plan far more clever, more complex, and much more…cruel. After having devised it, I knew there was turning back. But first…I wanted something I'd been deprived of for a long, long time._"

"_Flight,_" Starfire said quietly.

"_Yes,_" said Blackfire in low hiss. "_I can still remember that first time. I could finally see why everybody around me was so happy. That first breath of fresh sky._" She breathed in deeply. "_But now that I had what I'd longed for, there was only one more thing to do: Get my revenge. It was time to come after _you,_ little sister. The people that helped me fly were the ones I needed. Aren't you curious, Kori? Haven't you wondered where I got my long-denied ability?_"

"_Not really,_" Starfire lied.

"_Surely you at least ventured a guess. No? Come now, Koriand'r. You aren't _too _daft, are you? The most acclaimed scientists in the universe. I see the hint of recognition in your eyes. Still haven't got it? How about…the Psions?_ _Oh, what's this I see? Fear in the eyes of the great Koriand'r? Does their name stir up your memory, sister? Does it make your blood run cold?_"

Starfire hurled more starbolts at her sister, which were deflected easily. Blackfire was advancing quickly, parrying every attack thrown. Soon she was upon Starfire, hitting and blasting. She grabbed her by the hair again, but this time forced her head up to meet her eyes.

"_I needed their help, Kori. And for them, I needed the Gordanians._" At the very mentioned of their race's sworn enemy, Starfire began to twist and struggle under her sister's grasp. "_They were quite unwilling at first. But if there's one thing I know, it's that you can't get something for nothing. And I knew there was only one thing they'd be interested in._" Starfire stopped struggling and stared at Blackfire. "_Catching on, are we?_" Blackfire stroked her chin with her free hand in mock thoughtfulness. "_When was that, anyway? Hmm…how old was I? Oh yes, sixteen. And you were twelve, that's right. The age when you would be declared the heir to the throne. Ahhhh, what a glorious day for Tamaran. Oh wait—it wasn't. I believe that was the day the Gordanians somehow broke through the supposedly impenetrable Tamaranean defenses and killed many soldiers and civilians in a way reminiscent of the day _I _was born._" Starfire had an odd expression one her face, as if she had just been told she was missing an arm. "_Everybody knew that only select Tamaranean military personnel were given the codes to shut down the defenses. Everybody knew that somewhere in their mist, there was a traitor._" Starfire's eyes could not possibly have been more wide with horror.

"_You…_"

"_Hahaha, yes, Koriand'r. Me. I, who had so long been looked down on by my people, who had so long been denied _everything_, who _despised _her younger sister, her inferior, YES, KORIAND'R, I! I DID IT! IT WAS I WHO TOLD THE GORDANIANS TO ASK FOR _YOU_, TO ONLY TAKE YOU AND LEAVE THE REST OF OUR FAMILY, LEAVE THEM TO SUFFER, LEAVE FATHER TO _STEW _IN HIS OWN GUILT OVER HAVING TO CHOOSE HIS KINGDOM OVER HIS DARLING, PRECIOUS PRINCESS KORIAND'R! AND I ENJOYED IT SO MUCH, WATCHING YOU _BEG_, WATCHING HIM _SQUIRM_, WATCHING YOU _SUFFER_! AND I DID, I _MADE IT SO_, I DID IT! IT WAS _ME_ WHO HAD THE GORDANIANS TAKE YOU INTO SLAVERY FOR THOSE YEARS, AND HAD IT BEEN I FACED WITH THE DECISION, I WOULD HAVE MADE IT THE REST OF YOUR MISERABLE EXISTENCE, BECAUSE I HATE YOU, KORIAND'R! I HATE YOU, SISTER! I _HATE _YOU!_"

Starfire was not entirely sure what happened next. It was as if something deep inside her that she fought to keep hidden had suddenly and painfully snapped. There was no right or wrong anymore. There were no morals, no police, no framing. There was only her and Blackfire.

"**_DIE!_**"

Starfire hit her sister with force that she would have never thought possible. Blackfire was knocked backwards into the canyon wall, about a football field's distance away. Starfire flew straight towards her and slammed into Blackfire with every ounce of her strength. Now the elder sister had been forced four inches _into _the canyon wall. Starfire let out a cry of rage and pummeled her until her fists were covered with blood.

Starfire looked down at her sister. She had a broken nose, a busted lip and was bruised and bleeding in other places, too. But that grin, that sick, malicious grin still remained. It was now short a few teeth, but it was there. And that was enough to make Starfire's insides twist and burn. Even worse, Blackfire was somehow still conscious—and still talking, albeit slowly.

"_Heh…heh…heh...I was so mad when I heard…that the Gordanians had sold you to the Psions. I knew their procedures were painful…but I thought…you might get more powerful. Looks like…I was right. You got the same starbolt powers I got as a side-effect…of the operation that helped me…to fly._"

Starfire punched her. "_You…you cannot possible have a heart beating inside you. It is…not possible for someone who has one to…they could not—!_"

"_That's always been your major flaw, Koriand'r. You think too much of people. You think they will not got to the lengths they go to in order to get what they want. You're un-jaded…guess that's why Mother loved you so much. Cried when Father did it. I saw. She would have never cried for m—_" Starfire cut her off with another punch. There were tears in her eyes.

"_You will not speak of her. She will not have her name dirtied by the likes of you!_"

Blackfire spit out some blood and smiled again. "_Five years, Kori. I'm actually impressed you made it out without killing yourself. Or going mad. That's what they say happens to the ones that survive the Psion experiments. Did you cry, little sister? Did you pray to X'hal to deliver you?_"

"_SHUT UP!_" Starfire punched her several more times, breathing harder. "_YOU WILL BE QUIET AND YOU WILL NOT SAY ANY MORE! YOU WILL NOT…YOU WILL...NOT…INSULT…X'HAL._"

Blackfire looked up at her again, but this time, her face was strangely blank. "_What's the use of praying if there's nobody who hears?_"

Starfire growled and murmured something about faith and strength.

"_I prayed to X'hal every day when I was a child,_" said Blackfire. "_I prayed for flight, mostly. But She never answered me. I grew up and realized the only thing you rely on is yourself. You can't just hope for miracles to drop out of the damn sky, you've got to _do _something about it. So I did. And you really aren't that different, are you? You broke out of captivity because you decided it was time to act. And don't say you got strength from Her,_" she added just as Starfire was about to repeat herself. "_It's all crap. You get strength because it's necessary to survive. Be strong and survive._" She grinned again. "_Be strong…_" She kicked Starfire hard in the stomach. "_…or die._"

Blackfire jumped up and gave her adversary two strong hits to the jaw, followed by a blast from her eyes. Starfire came back swinging, though. She delivered many more punches and kicks, and then blasted Blackfire in the back with a starbolt, which knocked her to the ground. She managed to roll over to face her sister, but it was safe to say she would not be getting back up, at least at the moment.

Starfire could only look on, seething. "_You…you evil, vile, abhorrent—_" She held up her energy-charged hand, ready to strike.

Blackfire just lay there, grinning insanely. "_Going to _kill _me, Kori? Going to blast my brains out, spill my blood on the rocks? Going to stamp on my corpse until I'm dust?_" Starfire's hand twitched a little. Her eyes stopped glowing. "_It would feel _good_, wouldn't it?_"

"…_I…_"

"_What? Hate me? I know that!_"

"_Do you?_"

"_Hm?_"

"_It is easy to hate._"

"…"

"_It would be so _easy_…_"

"…_Then—_"

"_But it would not be…it would not—_"

"_Be what? Right? Don't give me that crap. You _want _to do it._" Her eyes narrowed. "_You _need _to do it._"

"…_I…_" Starfire's hand lowered. "_I will not._"

Blackfire threw back her head and laughed. She slowly and shakily got up, but only managed to get to her knees. "_You're such a fool, Koriand'r. You say you _won't_ do it, but the truth is you _can't _do it! You don't have the g—_"

ZZZZZZZAAAAAAZZZT!

Blackfire fell forward, her back smoking. Cron was standing behind her with some sort of gun. He looked at Starfire. "_We apologize for the mix-up, ma'am. This is indeed the person we are after._"

"_What did you—_"

"_It's a lightning gun. Standard issued Centauri Police weapon. She's just unconscious…but it looks like she may need medical attention. You do this?_" he asked, gesturing to Blackfire's injuries.

"_I suppose I did,_" she responded flatly.

"_Thank you for subduing her. Guess that makes sense, your pal back there told me you guys are some kind of 'crime-fighters.'_"

"_I suppose we are._"

"_..Right. Anyway, sorry I didn't get here sooner,_" he said, picking up Blackfire and putting her over his shoulder for easier carrying. "_I only hope you will press no charges for our misconduct—_"

"_I will not,_" she sighed. "_How long will she be in prison?_"

"_Hard to say. A pretty lengthy period, I'd wager._"

"_Good._"

"…_Right. Your companions are over there,_" he said, pointing to the ridge. The Titans stood observing them silently. Starfire wondered how long they had been standing there. "_I'll call our ship down here and we'll just be on our way._"

* * *

Starfire sat on the roof by herself. Her friends had been almost completely silent on the way home; they could tell she didn't want to be given the third degree. She had gone up to the roof almost immediately. She needed time for everything to sink in. Her sister had betrayed their planet, all for the purpose of hurting her. And she had put up such a front, she had made herself so irresistible to the Titans—she was interesting, funny, and by no means naïve like Starfire. 'It would have been so easy,' Starfire thought. 'It would have been so easy for her to just live here and kick me out. And I would have let her…but not now. Not after all that she has done.' 

"Starfire?"

Starfire turned. This was the third time Robin had caught her sulking on a roof today. "Hello, Robin. What is it that you wanted?"

"Just to see if you were okay," he answered, sitting down beside her.

"No, I am not. And I fear I will not be for some time."

"…Oh." There was a heavy silence.

"Did you see me fight Blackfire?" she asked. She couldn't bring herself to call Blackfire her sister.

"Not all of it. But it was kind of obvious who got the most hits in." There was a pregnant pause. "I'm sorry."

Starfire was surprised. "What for?"

"I—_we_ believed she was a good person. We were really fooled, I guess."

"I guess."

"And worse, because of that, we weren't paying enough—if any—attention to you. It was a sucky thing to do. We weren't being good friends."

Starfire smiled a bit. "I am to assume you have had one of the 'team meetings' with the others and came to this conclusion and they sent you to talk to me?"

Robin looked embarrassed. "Well, yeah. We felt like jerks. But I came because I was going to anyway."

"Really?"

"Yeah. To apologize personally."

"You have already—"

"No, it wasn't about that. It was…I saw you with your hand up, standing over her. I thought—it was just for an instant, but I thought…I thought you were really going to kill her."

Another silence weighed down on them. "…So did I. But then I realized that, physically, it is easy to kill. It is just as easy to kill as it is to hate. But it is like a sword with a sharpened edge on both sides…as much as you hurt others, you are bound to hurt yourself."

Robin smiled. "That's true. It…eats at you. But I was wondering…what is it that you and Blackfire were so angry at each other over?"

Starfire sighed. "That is a matter which must remain only between me and her."

He nodded. "That's fine. You didn't pry, so neither will I."

"Thank you. And now, I must apologize to you."

"What? You don't need to apologize for _anything_."

"I thought not at first, but now I see…with friends like you and the others, I feel guilty for ever thinking that you would…"

"Take Blackfire over you?"

"I am just glad that I was not replaced."

Robin looked shocked for a moment, but then smiled again. "She can't replace you, Starfire. She was…_interesting_, but she couldn't take your place. No one could _ever _take your place."

Starfire smiled and hugged him as they turned to watch the sun's first rays creep up over the horizon.

**

* * *

Blowfish: HOLY SHIT THAT WAS LONG. JESUS. A vein in my one of my fingers is pulsing. Seriously.**

**Anyway. Since I didn't say it at the beginning, I'm sorry I'm a lazy bitch who writes sporadically. But seriously. Never again. At least not THIS long. What was it—APRIL? APRIL? Daaaaaaamn. I REALLY suck at this.'**

**Hope you enjoyed that chapter, and I hope the extra fighting and background wasn't too much or too crappy. I took Starfire's history from the comics and decided to jam it in there because it'll make good stuff for the later Tamaran story. At least, that's how I hope it's going to go. And I hope you all didn't hate it with a fiery passion. Yeah.**

**Next time: Leadership problems lead to a huge dispute between Cyborg and Robin. The two hotheads get into a huge argument, and Cyborg quits the team in a rage. How will the Titans go on without their "big brother?" And worse, how will they deal with the goo-like mutant Plasmus one team member short? This could get messy…**


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